Brake-even distance for Freightliners
Page 29
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
A SUGGESTION that the actual economic break-even distance for the transport of containers to and from the ports by road or rail probably lay between 100 and 150 miles, according to circumstances and foreseeable costs, was made by Mr. R. P.M. Wormal, general manager, Overseas Containers Ltd., at Liverpool, last week.
Mr. Wormal, who was discussing "The UK transport pattern in the international container age", in the annual shipping lecture to the loT Merseyside and District Section, said it was fairly obvious that large flows of containers concentrated through a port with a local movement at only one end of the trunk haul should be favourable to rail over the longer distances.
Every container must at least start or finish its journey on road, he said. The basic factors affecting the break-even point lying between road and rail for trunk haulage were the loaded container/mile costs for the complete container movement pattern in a given trade generated by density and frequency of trunk movement; off-line movement for collection and delivery; and empty container movements to service outward cargo shippers and to redress imbalances between input and output in each of the catchment areas.
"The problem facing the container operator who is planning a service, due to start a year from now, is to judge how stable are the costs, which he is being quoted for road and rail haulage. Also to what extent, if any, will pending legislation upset the fine balance between the two transport modes on the principal routes between ports and the cargo centres?"
In broad terms, Mr. Wormal suggested it would appear the southern ports will be rail orientated for a significant proportion of their containerized cargo.