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Dock Traffic Augments Rural Services
Page 84
Page 85
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IMPORTANT to the agricultural road service provided by Sommerfield and Thomas, Ltd., Market Square, King's Lynn, Norfolk, are the shipping-agent facilities that are offered by the concern. Included in the traffic carried by the all-Bedford fleet of 33 vehicles is Kainit, a fertilizer imported from the Continent and transferred direct from the ship to the farms by lorry. A substantial tonnage of sugar is collected from the local factory for shipment to the North of England and Scotland.
Particularly busy months at the docks are August and September, when large quantities of flower bulbs are imported from Holland in cases, bags and rail containers and are distributed over a wide area. Many of the consignments comprise packages which have been stored at a low temperature for preservation, and transport delays after leaving the ship could lead to rapid deterioration. Some of the cases are small and are delivered singly.
Fertilizer produced locally by the West Norfolk Farmers Manure and Chemical Co., Ltd., represents the largest tonnage carried, the material being distributed throughout Norfolk, Suffolk and Lincolnshire between midMarch and the end of April. Fine weather increases the demand and rainy conditions retard it, hut whatever the changes of climate, orders must be dealt with at once.
The fertilizer is taken to the fields for immediate use and drivers must possess a detailed topographical knowledge of the neighbourhood. A close liaison with the farmers is essential.
a34 Small tippers are mainly employed for the bulk transport of grain in the daylight-to-dark operations of the harvest season in August and early September. Although some of the grain is loaded in bags, most of it is carried in bulk to the farmer's drier or to one operated by a merchant. Much of the corn is also collected in bulk from the driers.
A recent development is the transport by sea of substantial tonnages of barley in the months of September to December for the use of distillers in Scotland and on the Continent. Most of the grain
is taken direct by lorry to the ship, although some is stored in the company's warehouse. Wheat from a silois exported throughout the year, and sugar is shipped to northern ports.
The ships chartered by Sommerfield and Thomas include vessels of 350 tons to 1,000 tons, the number of departures totalling six a week during peak periods. A regular biweekly service in both directions from King's Lynn to Rottcrdam is operated by the company, and shipments include agricultural produce as well as general goods, such as machines, tractors, and so on, manufactured in the Eastern counties and the Midlands.
Loading beet is extremely arduous work for the drivers and to select the correct load, which is generally one of many deposited at the roadside, requires considerably more intelligence or acumen than would appear necessary to an outsider. Whilst a local driver can pack out his load by an instinct born of native perception, a "foreigner," particularly one from an industrial area, would be incapable of assimilating the necessary "feel for the job' for a long time, whatever his qualifications as a driver. This has been proved by experience.
The fleet includes 11 10-ton articulated outfits, seven short-wheelbase tippers of 5-ton capacity and the remaining 15 vehicles are 6-ton longwheelbase lorries converted to tippers for the carriage of bulk loads. The conversions were carried out by a specialist concern to a detailed specification.
Standardization was a war-time measure that proved so advantageous that it was continued after the war. Mr. F. W. Bates, a director who is in charge of transport, is highly satisfied with the composition of the fleet and considers it represents the optimum size. It is of relevant interest that there has been no change in the number and unladen weight of vehicles operated by the company since 1933. All are Alicensed lorries; no British Road Services units have been purchased.
Except for three 7-tonners equipped with Perkins P6 oil engines, the vehicles are standard petrol-engined units. In Mr. Bates's opinion these are to be preferred for the shortand mediumdistance runs on which the fleet is mainly engaged. The three oilers are recent purchases and are employed for the industrial traffic from the Midlands and so on.
Six works-reconditioned engines are kept in stock, also a number of gearboxes, back axles and auxiliary components overhauled in the workshops. Because of the varying conditions of operation, it has been impossible to introduce an overhaul schedule.
There is always one vehicle in the workshops undergoing a complete overhaul, and withdrawing vehicles from service on this basis has been found satisfactory to cover repair requirements, except for occasional emergency jobs. On the average, the vehicles operate for two years without the replacement of an engine or other major component, which corresponds to a mileage of about 60,000. Intermediate overhauls of the power unit are not normally required.
An unusual procedure is adopted in the organization of the maintenance staff, who arc divided into early and late shifts so that mechanics are at work in the garage from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. The routine maintenance policy of "little and often" is based on fortnightly servicing in the garage by the mechanics, in addition to regular greasing and minor repairs by the drivers in slack
periods. Drivers' working hours are never curtailed and pride in their vehicles' condition is fostered by adhering to the one-driver one-vehicle rule.
A major breakdown is a rare occurrence.
The care of tyres, including correct inflation, is regarded as one of the II1051 important maintenance measures, and a strict record is kept of all covers used and their history. Henley tyres have been employed exclusively since prewar days and have given good service.
The one-make _principle is also applied to the use of lubricants. The recommendations of the oil company, who supply the lubricants, are strictly observed with regard to grades for different purposes, frequency of changes and so on, and the results obtained are considered fully to justify such a policy
In Mr. Bates' opinion the size of a fleet must be limited if it is to be operated at its optimum efficiency, or ii must be a large organization with nation-wide bases. He sub-contracts a substantial amount of traffic to 13.R.S., which he considers to be efficiently run, particularly with regard to the carriage of small consignments.— P.A.C.B.