Penalizing Coach Drivers
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THE . HE lieensing of drivers and conductors for passenger vehicles in-the Metropolitan area remains vested in the Commissioner of Police; and in this connection a serious situation hag arisen, for the Cointnis sioner has decided that per 'hits to drive Will be issued onlyfor the Makes and types of coach on -which tests are 'passed, andevery driver Must have his permit stamped accordingly.
The' great importance of this decision does not appear to be sufficiently realized by the many interests concerned. As regards the driver, it will seriously limit his employment. However excellent be his qualifications, if his permit. does not include the particular make or makes of coach run by a prospective employer, then he tannot be engaged, -unless the coach owner sends him and the vehicle,, or vehicles, concerned to Scotland Yard for a, test, which would mean wasted time and . mileage ,. and considerable inconvenience.The' probability is that the applicant would.. not be engaged, and how, in such circumstances, Will he be able to arrange for further tests?
The coach owner will also be adversely affected. Many have a variety of makes, and in order that they may operate efficiently, particularly in view of the new restrictions on driving hours, all drivers must pass On -all vehicles. 'Thus, if there be six types In a fleet and 20 drivers are employed, a total of 120 tests must be passed, and one pass might quite possibly require several tests at intervals. Anyone who knows the methods employed by Scotland.
Yard in passing. drivers will be able to . calculate the length of time, thechar-. mous amount of work and the heavy expense entailed.
Should an operator be suddenly in need of a driver for one of the less popular makes, he might experience the greatest difficulty in finding one with the appropriate permit ;--meanwhile, he would probably have to cancel bookings. • . Even the manufacturer may be seriously handicapped when placing a new model on the market, for the reason that an operator might possibly be reluctant to buy, knowing that' bVfore use could be -made of the .vehicle all his drivers would have to pass the .'necessary tests, and at the time of delivery there would not be a driver* available with a permit to handle' it.
The fatuity of this petty and irksome restriction would, we should have thought, have been apparent to all. A good driver is not necessarily • one Who *has handled' many _ makes of. vehicle. Having attained proficiency with one-type,. it should be a matter of . only a few minutes for such a man to become accustomed to the controls of anyother, especially as the tendency is, of course, for these to. be standardized.
The Tendency Towards the Use of Larger Engines.
nURING the past year there have been definite signs that makers are tending to favour the employment of larger engines—in other words, to improve the power-to-weight ratio. In some cases the same end is being attained by lightening the chassis in scientific ways, and using the same size of power unit as before. Either course is deserving of encouragement; the recent speed-limit Changes have had no small influence in this direction because it is realized that, although one may not be allowed to exceed a certain speed, a good powerto-weight ratio enables the average speed closely to approach the maximum.
This use of larger engines does not necessarily mean an increase in fuel cost ; a large engine running at a small throttle opening most of the time and merely needing more throttle opening to climb hills—without recourse to a change of gear—has shown in our series of road tests its ability to work economically.
In addition, an engine which is never stressed to provide its full power runs far longer without repairs than one which is working hard all the time. To check the tendency on the part of Indifferent drivers to run at excessive speed, the use of a governor is a simple cure ; by this we do not mean a governor which cuts out at the legal limit. That course involves danger to-day, because acceleration within reasonable limits is vital ; what is more practicable is to limit the maximum speed to, say, 45 m.p.h. in the case of coaches or buses and to about 35 m.p.h. for goods-carrying vehicles.
By the use of well-graded ratios for second, third and top gears all normal road conditions can be surmounted ; given the availability of a really low emergency, first-speed ratio, the presence of the governor will not make it either difficult or dangerous to tackle very bad country. The next Commercial Motor Show will most probably reveal in a more definite form this tendency towards larger engines for many classes of vehicle.
More British Light Chasgis Needed.
AGLANCE through the Tables of Chassis Specifications published in our Special Outlook Number in December last, reveals a definite shortage of British-built chassis for light vans. The range of models carrying up to 25 cwt. is much more restricted than is that comprising machines above the 25-cwt. pay-load limit.
To-day the use of ordinary private-car chassis is rightly discountenanced for this class of commercial work—more suitable construction for van duty being regarded as essential.
A point which is often stressed by our readers when making inquiries as to possible British models is the restricted choice of engine sizes ; whilst a car-type engine may suffice for door-todoor delivery work, there is a class of buyer who demands a high-performance machine of British origin. It is for this purchaser that comparatively little has been done.
It would appear to be advisable to offer a choice of engine sizes for vans in this category, the smaller power unit being suitable for delivery duty in easy country, whilst a larger engine could be provided for machines used in hilly districts or to meet the needs of commercial travellers having long journeys to make with a heavy load of samples.