JACK RICHARDS AND SON: THE RISK OF EMPTY RUNNING
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With the longer semi-trailer trial now 11 months old, evidence is emerging that the 14.6m and 15.65m semi-trailers aren’t working for operators conducting general haulage.
Peter Brown, the MD of Jack Richards and Son, which runs 30 longer semi-trailers, said it was struggling to put them into use because of the difficulty in matching return loads to outbound volumes. Brown explained: “For trunking applications it is fine, but as a general haulier using them the rest of the time it isn’t working.” He added that the risk of empty running on the return leg of a journey too often outweighs the gain from having the outbound extra capacity.
“As soon as we start to increase empty running [the gain] is all lost – 95% of the time I won’t be able to use them.”