are difficult to maneuver into position for loading at the farms and too 

 hard to handle on many hack roads. Improvement of huildings, yard 

 lay-outs, and secondary roads to enhance pickup efficiency has received 

 too little attention. 



Factors which influence the rate of utilization of a firm's total truck 

 capacity, are: (1) The number of days of operation per week; (2) 

 the typical load compared with vehicle capacity; (3) the number of 

 vehicles on hand and the regularity of their use; and (4) the use of 

 trucks for purposes other than hauling poultry. Figure 4 shows the re- 

 lationship between percentage of annual truck capacity used and size 

 of firm. 



Most small slaughterers and live-poultry stores pick up poultry only 

 one or two days per week. Most live-poultry buyers operate 3-5 days 

 per week, and contractors, contract haulers, and processing plants gen- 

 erally 5 days per week. On the average, the smaller the firm, the greater 

 the seasonal variation in volume it experiences. Hence, the percentage 

 of excess capacity may be relatively larger for smaller firms than the 

 comparison of operating days per week would suggest. 



Present Costs of Live Poultry Assembly 



Total costs per pound for assembling live poultry decline as firm size 

 increases (Table 4). This is also true for the two main variable cost 

 items, labor and truck operation costs, as well as for fixed costs such 



Table 4. Average Costs for Typical Sizes and Types of Firms Assembling 

 Live Poultry, New England, 1957-581 



1 For input-output data on the same firms, see Table 3. Based on a stratified random 

 sample of 75 firms. 



2 These cost levels appear excessive, and may include charges assignable to other 

 activities. 



17 



