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Now we are fly
Page 14
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Issue I: 16 March 1905
The first issue of The Commercial Motor was prefaced by editor E Shrapnell Smith: With early fail. ures to contend against, without experience of road conditions, and in the face of problematic legal right to use the highway at all, the marvel is that upwards of 3,000 commercial motors, ranging from the 5cwt delivery van to the 6-ton wagon, are at work in the British Isles to-clay. When so fine a record has been achieved despite such great drawbacks and disadvantages, can human foresight gauge the future?"
The "News of the Week' section included a note that "the number of commercial motors using acetylene gas supplied in cylinders is increasing daily". Readers were encouraged to "join the Motor Van and Wagon Users Association forthwith, in order to strengthen that most useful organisation and to secure for themselves the advantages of membership".
Under a heading "Where Motor Wagons are Needed" were two pictures from South Australia; one of to camels hauling a water tanker, the other of a 14-horse team hauling timber CM remarked: "Such striking testimony to the pressing need for more modern methods of haulage it would be difficult to portray... colonists are proverbially progressive, and as soon as they have ocular proof of regularity in working there will be no hesitation on their parts to at once discard the present cumbrous animal haulage." The report concluded with a preview
of "a special Indian and Colonial Supplement". For these were the days of empire when Britain was the workshop of the world.
Continuing the theme of animals vs engines was a feature headed: "The light delivery van—its advantages over the horse-drawn vehicle": "Such a vehicle as we have in mind—up
to rocwts load—will possibly cost from £220 to £250 (P3,500.15,400 at 2002 values), and for this figure it will be possible to provide for a two-cylinder engine of 8-rohp... all idea of running upon pneumatic tyres must be absolutely discarded if economic running is the point to be aimed at..." And to clinch the argument: "Sometimes horses bolt, become unmanageable or generally misbehave themselves, with dire results to the rest of the traffic and the unfortunate owner." By way of contrast, "a modem motor van, properly driven by an ordinary driver, could run for a week without stopping the engine for a second, and without doing a farthing's worth of damage to the machinery beyond fair wear and tear."
CM s very first operator profile
highlighted a name that is stir the forefront of the indus "'Beginning with a single trac in November 1903. we h increased the number to 2,o, addition to in motor wagoi said one of the managing dir tors of Pickford, the well-kno carriers, in response to a quest addressed to him by a represer five of The Commercial Mote 'All are steam, because we red the fire risk too great to han petrol at present... Our pair-ho vans take from 3 to 3', tons a average about 16 miles a c whereas we find that motors take 5 tons a trip and do two ix in place of one... we own betwt 2,000 and 3,000 horses and o 1,600 vehicles within the met politan area, and we look for future increase of business means of mechanical tractim lust like hauliers toed Pielcfords was "arranging scheme to allow others of c employees to work themsel up [to driving jobs] by degr Our practical difficulty with 1 drivers is that they seem wedc to dirt and grime...–
To remind us that steam s dominated HGVs, a guide finding suitable drivers reco mended "stokers retired from • Royal Navy" as "handy men the first order for the work view. They are used to discipt and accustomed to keep the selves clean.., they probably lu experience of positions fin which only their self reliar would extricate them."
Operators were advised send every new driver to "1 works of the manufacturer foi least a month, there to see 1 inner details of the constructi of the vehicle he will proba drive.., a competent and care driver is worth some 30s j week (L92 at 2002 values) to 1 owner of a commercial vehicl no driver should be allowed do any repairs of importance we do not allow the drivers our horse vehicles to 'vet' c horses and the same rule shot hold good in the upkeep of si propelled vehicles for comm dal purposes."