Los Angeles herald., 1910-12-11
TRADE VEHICLE PROGRESS
DEPENDS ON DRIVERS
Lack of Experienced Handlers
Has Retarded Growth of
Commercial Line

Except in the case of a few firms
that have labored exhaustively to build
satisfactory types of commercial We
hicles, the average car produced in
this country for trade purposes has
been giving satisfaction only in the
last two or three years. There are
cases on record of vehicles built by
specialists in the commercial line that
have been giving good service for six
and eight years, and possibly some
may be found that have gone along
steadily for a longer time than that.
A majority of these old-timers, how
ever, have been seeing service around
the establishments of their construc-
tors and have received at all times
the expert attention due to machinery
of which hard and steady work is re-
quired.
In the long service of even a few
power vehicles under proper handling
lies the lesson that is being gradually
learned by all users. Ineffective dr1v-
ing, which has even more harmful
effect on a heavily loaded truck than
on a touring car, and lack of knowl-
edge of how to make trivial repairs
and adjustments in order to avert more
serious trouble spell the difference be-
tween long and short service. In
short, the lack of trained drivers,
rather than shortcomings in construc-
tion, has helped to retard the progress
of the trade vehicle.
1t is admitted, of course, that the
commercial end of the industry today
is turning out a much better product,
taken on the whole, than three or four
years ago. AS important a feature
as any is the fact that the manufac-
turers have now considerable prac-
tical experience back of them, and in
accommodating this experience they have
gathered engineering data that is prov
ing of the utmost value.
The manufacturers who cater to
trade are no longer Indifferent to the
uses to which a machine may be put
once a sale has been made. Unlike
the pleasure car seller, their first eff
fort is to ascertain the class of work
d vehicle will be required to do, what
its maximum loads will be and the
class of routes over which it will be
required to travel. With this data
the modern firm is in position to
advise the merchant regarding the
type of machine that VIII give MIN the
best service.
This matter of making the vehicle
fit it's work is sound business. 1t
means that repeat orders"-that most
desirable feature of the industry-may
be expected. The up-to-date firm is
not satisfied to know that customer
is using one or two of its vehicles
when, perhaps, he retains in service
ten or twenty horse-drawn vehicles.
1t wants to displace the horse with
that particular firm 1t is essential,
therefore, that the early sales give
satisfaction.
One of the most important firms in
the electric commercial field has car
ried this policy to a point where it is
willing to forego actual sales rather
than sell a machine that 1t believes
is untitled for the service for which
1t will be used. It's contention is that
a sale of this sort may not only en-
tirely preclude any further business
with the firm directly concerned, but
may affect the prospects of business
with a dozen other concerns in posi-
ton to know that the vehicle has
failed to stand up.
"If we were selling a pleasure car
we would feel that the seating ca
pacity would usually mark its maxi
mum load, and would feel no further
concern" said a representative OF the
firm a few days ago. unfortunately,
however, it is possible to pile two or
three tons of goods on one-ton truck
if a man so desires. Such usage
would be ruinous to any truck. For
that reason it is good business policy,
we believe, not to sell truck for serv-
ice for which we consider 1t united.
In other ways, too, a truck may be
abused These things are what have
initiated against the success of the
commercial business, as manufactur-
ers thoroughly realize"