A MIXED FLEET ON FLOUR DISTRIBUTION
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IN dealing with the road-transport vehicles of Ilovis, Ltd., it is difficult to dissociate the concern from steam-driven machines, of which it owned, for a number of years, a large fleet. Although the steamers gave satisfactory service, business txpansion and the call for a general speeding-up of deliveries necessitated a change-over to petrol and oil-engined vehicles.
Although the number of electrics operated is small in relation to the total number of machines owned by Hovis, Ltd., the story attached to them is of great interest. In all, there are eight of these vehicles—seven Walkers and a Garrett, of which six of the former and the latter operate in the London area, the other Walker being employed in Bristol.
The acquisition of these machines dates back to the war period, when it was difficult, if not impossible, to obtain petrol-engined lorries. Some of these vehicles have thus been in constant service for 23 years, and we understand from Capt. C. F. Roberts, transport manager for Hovis. Ltd., that the electrics are available for work on more days in the week throughout the year than are any other machines in the fleet.
Originally shod with solid tyres, a conversion to pneumatics was made some three or four years ago. This resulted in a 7f per cent. increase in speed and 20 per cent, greater mileage per battery charge. The average weekly mileage of the electrics is 180, their sphere of
operation on one charge being about 45 miles. The batteries are charged throughout the night by a motorgenerator set installed at the Grosvenor Road depot of the company. So much for the electrics. Let us now consider the main section of the transport facilities of this well-known concern, the activities of which cover a wide area. It may be as well, at this point, to mention that the nature of the goods carried is flour, which is made at the various mills of the company and delivered to bakeries, where it is used to produce what we know as Hovis bread.
The depots so concerned are London, Manchester, Bristol and Bournemouth, whilst from Andover, Hedingham, Haverhill, Newbury and Lincoln the transport is engaged, in the main, in the delivery of Vitovis-, which is a cattle food made from the wheatings resulting from the flour making, with the addition of other products to form a balanced ration.
The fleet in London is a mixed one and consists of 10 Leylands, an Albion, three Saurers, six Walker electries and a Garrett. Subdividing these vehicles, we find that the Leyland machines consist of three TSW1 Hippos (originally delivered with petrol engines, but since converted to oil), four oil-engined Beavers, an oilengined Rhino and two petrol-engined Badgers. Two of the Saurers are type 5ADD oilers, the other machine
of this make being petrol-engined. The Albion, of which Hovis, Ltd., actually has four, is of the ICL127 type.
One of the Leyland Rhinos operated has covered 350,000 miles, its mileage per year being around 50,000. A TSW1-type Hippo, put into service in 1929, was converted to an oiler in January, 1934, and this machine has 180,000 miles to its credit.
In the matter of vehicles operated, the Manchester depot comes next to London with a Leyland Beaver, three Leyland Cubs, a Leyland petrol-engined 6-tonner and trailer, and two Dennis. Then we have Lincoln
with two Cubs, two Saurers and a Scamrnell mechanical horse.
Newbury has a Leyland Buffalo, a Cub, a Beaver and trailer, and an Albion. There are two Beavers, a Walker electric and a Cub at Bristol, two Albions at Andover, a Cub at Bournemouth, and at Haverhill two Cubs and a Beaver and trailer.
The last-named outfit, incidentally, runs a daily service between London and Haverhill, week in and week out, and puts up an annual mileage of 40,000. A similar outfit at the Newbury depot is on a day and night continuousservice job, the goods transported being either flour in bags or bulk wheat.
To facilitate the loading of wheat, both the lorry and trailer bodies are provided with trap doors on the top, so that the wheat can be loaded direct from the chute. For unloading, a portion of the body, at the bottom, is made to slide back, so releasing the load.
The total number of trailers in use is 15, comprising Carrimore, Harrow and Garrett makes. Seven of these are in London, three in Lincoln, two at Manchester, two at Newbury and one at Haverhill.
The chief maintenance depot is, of course, in London, and the vehicles at Haverhill and Hedingham are also maintained at Batter sea, but the other depots carry out the majority of their own overhaul and repair work.
The average load carried by the bigger vehicles is 8 tons, and on the six-cylindered oil-engined machipes drawing trailers the rate of fuel consumption is equal to 10.5 m.p.g., whilst in the case of petrol vehicles the consumption figure is equivalent to 9.2 m.p.g.
Hoyis, Ltd., has its own coach works, where bodies for all its vehicles are constructed and painted.
Some idea of the thoroughness with which operations are carried out at Battersea may be gathered from the tyre-pressure charts in use. A man is deputed to test all tyres every Friday, and his job is to check pressures and to make observations on the general condition of the'tyres. We reproduce a specimen chart as completed by the examiner, the figures and marks thereon being explained in the caption.
Every week each driver has to make a detailed report, on a form supplied, on every important feature of his vehicle and, following an examination of this report, the maintenance staff makes such adjustments or repairs as may be necessary.
After 10,000 miles running a complete inspection is made, covering practically every item of the vehicles, from front number plate to the rear axle.
An interesting sidelight on the care which is taken to prevent trouble is the manner in which the lubricating oil is dispensed. All oil is supplied in barrels, and from these it is pumped into glass containers having screwed tops. By this method the condition of the oil can be seen at a glance, whereas were the usual oil fillers used the dust and grit collected as the result of standing about in the open would find its way into the sump.
In addition to the heavy transport vehicles, Hovis, Ltd., runs no fewer than 70 travellers' cars, composed in the main of Morris ".10s " and Wolseley "14s." All these vehicles are controlled from London and are as rigidly supervised as is the commercial-transport fleet. None of these is kept after 20,000 miles running, and in view of the contact which is maintained by the transport department with every vehicle, they should still be capable of giving thousands of miles of useful service.
There is little doubt that scrupulous cleanliness, so essential in every phase of this company's business, is reflected in its transport fleet, all vehicles in which are painted white. This not only makes them distinctive, but is in keeping with the product which Hovis, Ltd., distributes. It is undoubtedly this feature of cleanliness, evident throughout the organization, which is largely responsible for the excellent service xecord of all the machines in the Hovis fleet. There is no doubt, too, that all these machines represent travelling advertise-, ments for the product, and the smarter their appearance the greater is their potential value in this respect.