When Personal I irvision Spells Success
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BY ASHLEY TAYLOR, A.M.I.R.T.E., Assoc.Inst.T.
CONSISTENT interest riot only by a chief executive, but also by the individual driver, is the keynote of . success in maintenance of the medium-sized fleet. This is the view taken by Mr. Leonard Green, director of Leonard Green (Haulage) Ltd., of Rotherham, a family business founded by his late father some 10 years ago and now having his mother as chairman with his brother, Colin, and two sisters as co-directors. The present company was formed 10 years ago. .
Such interest as that just mentioned does not mean that all the paper work goes by the board, but rather that the one complements the other. The haulage company has a twin in the form of Leonard Green (Garages) Ltd., which is largely situated in the same location, and it is this establishment that actually performs the necessary maintenance work for the fleet, in addition to carrying on the normal activities of a commercial vehicle garage with agencies for E.R.F. and B.M.C. New main workshops were erected early in 1964, being formally apened last August by the editor of The Commercial Motor.
The garage, which is under the supervision of Mr. George Richards, is open to perform all classes of maintenance work, even for competitive operators in the haulage field. Comprehensive facilities are provided and service is available from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. As the Leonard Green fleet's activities extend to 24 hours a day, 6+ days a week, there is much to be said for such a spreadover.
Preventing Frustration
In a great many haulage organizations the reporting of a suspected defect on a vehicle can be a somewhat
frustrating experience, for the driver. All too easily it happens that he makes his complaint but never knows what, if anything, has happened in consequence, in the Leonard Green fleet the endeavour is, so far as possible, to keep individual drivers on their own particular vehicles.
If the man thinks attention of any kind is needed, the procedure is for a report to be made at the traffic office. A duplicate order on the garage is then prepared, this being handed in at the workshop by the driver when he takes his vehicle in for attention. If it proves no more than a routine matter the order may be placed on the file for later action. If the work is carried out immediately the notice is countersigned by the foreman fitter, it then being returned to the traffic office for record purposes. Confirmation of steering, braking or similar defects results in the unit being kept off the road until they have been rectified. If practicable, wheli a vehicle goes to workshops on requisition, it will at the same time be given a general look over, which provides a valuable supplement to the periodical inspection at 4,000 miles, of which more later.
With a total of more than 50 vehicles and 16 semi-trailers under his care, Mr. Leonard Green still maintains a considerable degree of practical knowledge regarding their mechanical efficiency. Saturday mornings being his time to make any check that may be thought desirable. New drivers to the company start work on the fourwheelers and, because of the importance of the correct relationship between the men and their machines, this section of the fleet claims priority where maintenance supervision is con cerned. Larger units, in charge of proved and experienced members of the driving staff, have been found generally to require less attention.
Fleet Kept Busy As will already have been gathered, the fleet is kept busy and a good availability record is essential. At the same time, a substantial amount of sub-contracting has proved inevitable. Steel in finished form—bar, strip and coil— constitutes the backbone of the traffic, electrical goods such as cookers being a good second; there are also regular loads of confectionery. The main stream of the traffic is
between Sheffield and Birmingham, a considerable amount of general haulage work being performed from the latter base. One vehicle is substantially devoted to deliveries in Devon and Cornwall, whilst another works as far north as Dundee.
Close Link with E.R.F.
Rotherham has 25 vehicles on A licence, two on B licence and 17 on Contract A licence, whilst based at the Birming ham branch are six A-licensed units and a B-licensed collection and delivery vehicle. Right from the time Greens purchased the first eight-wheeler ever made by E.R.F. Ltd. there has been a close link with this manufacturer. Now the bulk of vehicles employed are E.R.F., although there are also two Leylands, an Austin, an Atkinson, a Seddon and a Bedford. With the exception of three vans, flat-platform bodies are fitted throughout the fleet. The E.R.F. associate, J. H. Jennings and Son Ltd., supplied the van bodywork, which in each case incorporates a removable intermediate floor so that cookers, for example, can be carried in two layers. Each of these vehicles carries a Burtonwood tail-lift.
More than one-third of the fleet is made up of articulated outfits, semi-trailers being mainly by Brockhouse but also including some by Northern, Boden and Dyson. With two men on night trunking and two on garage duties, the traffic staff adds up to a normal strength of 60, plus a traffic manager and two clerks who man the transport office on a shift system from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Leonard Green (Garages) Ltd. has a staff of 17, including the garage manager. Basic maintenance consists of a 4,000-mile service which may be taken to occur at approximately monthly intervals. At this stage the vehicles receive a thorough inspection and greasing, brakes and clutch are adjusted, oil levels are checked and oils are changed if necessary. Springs are scrutinized and there is a check-up on wheel and crankshaft bearings.
The transport company is anxious to obtain three vehicles on a maintenance licence, a move that would solve a number of current problems.
Automatic Lubrication The rolling-stock policy of the company has not yet been fully implemented, but endeavours are currently being made to achieve a working life for the vehicles of five years. This might be expected to bring economies as it would cut out one of the more expensive maintenance periods. At the present time the fleet is going over to automatic lubrication, which has proved a great time-saver. A start was made with three eight-wheelers and the system is now being fitted to all new vehicles, as well as to other units that may go into the workshops for any lengthy attention. , At first Syndromic automatic lubrication was employed, but later the Telelube system was adopted.
The company's present maintenance methods have been in force for more than 18 months. Previously, regular servicing and greasing were provided by the night shifts which were then being employed, plus inspections when they could conveniently be fitted in, but the more systematic approach has resulted in an all-round improvement. As will have been observed from the details of the working hours given earlier, the shops are open for 16 hours daily, this arrangement having proved efficient as well as more economical than round-the-clock service.
Large Stocks Kept Extensive stores at the garage carry substantial stocks to meet the requirements of the company's own fleet and those o8 of outside customers. Four 30-ft. illuminated pits are linked together by a sunken working area equipped with benches and fluorescent lighting. An overhead crane operates in this section of the building. At the moment Leonard Green has no heavy breakdown vehicle. However, this situation is due to be remedied in the very near future, although experience has shown that the defects arising in the course of transit are almost always of a minor nature.
Up to the present the general practice has been to send out a staff fitter to take immediate action in the case of any breakdown within a 50-mile radius.
The .majority of the power units are of Gardner manufacture and their record of reliability is such that unless there is evidence of black smoke the company prefers to leave them untouched. In the case of fuel pump or injector troubles, use is made of Gardner reconditioned units, which have been found to give first-class results, although they are possibly slightly more expensive than some alternatives that are readily available.
Special Attention to Trailers
Like a number of other fleet operators, Mr. Leonard Green feels it well worth while to devote special attention to the semi-trailer units. One of the fitters has been given this section of the fleet as his special responsibility, and he makes a fortnightly inspection of each unit, giving close attention to brakes and tyres. It is hoped that in due course all trailers in the fleet will be equipped with automatic lubrication. Drivers of ordinary vehicles have instructions to check tyres daily and should the condition of any give rise to doubt in their minds -to ask the tyre fitter for an expert examination. In any case, during the monthly docking the tyre fitter checks whether covers need replacing, in cases of doubt referring to Mr. Colin Green for authority to carry out specific work.
In addition to the facilities already described, the Greens have a body shop and paint shop. Among the work done here is the building of platform bodies for the fleet, the repair of bodies and cabs, and all necessary painting. The heads of the transport business believe that a good livery is of value in maintaining the prestige of a fleet and when vehicles show signs of falling below standard in this respect they are sent for repainting.
Altogether, the site occupied by the two companies covers more than three acres, which leaves ample space for vehicle movement. At a later stage it is possible that a warehouse and transit shed will be added to the existing premises. Buildings nearer the town centre, which were used by the garage, company before entering upon the present location, continue to be employed for light work from outside customers.
Monthly Inspection Advised Commenting to me on recent criticisms of the haulage industry on the score of maintenance, Mr. Leonard and Mr. Colin Green agreed that the small operator would be well advised to ensure that every vehicle receives a competent inspection at least monthly, with special attention given to the condition of brakes and tyres. Because of an increasing general consciousness of the need for mechanical efficiency it has been found that small hauliers, employing perhaps a single maintenance man, are tending' to keep him fully engaged on preventive routine. For this reason, they say, there has lately been a greater trend for" major repairs to be placed in the hands of the specialist transport garage.