Table 19. Load Capacity, Gross Vehicle Weight and Chassis 

 and Van Investment for Five Vehicle Types. 



* Gross vehicle weight is the vehicle weight and maximum load weight according 

 to manufacturer ratings. 



Social Security, insurance, and paid vacations. Labor is paid straight- 

 time pay for all hours worked. 



Vehicle Investment and Operating Costs 



The technical specifications of truck chassis and vans were analysed 

 to determine which model truck chassis is satisfactory for each size van. 

 One basic model chassis differing only in cab-to-axle length is satisfac- 

 tory for the three smaller van sizes, types M, N, and O. Heavier duty 

 chassis are required for the two larger van sizes, types P and Q. Invest- 

 ment in chassis and vans is given in table 19 for each type vehicle. The 

 investment includes excise taxes and mininuim safety equipment re- 

 quired for registration purposes. Investment per chick of vehicle load 

 capacity decreases from 45 cents for the type M vehicle to 25 cents for 

 the type Q vehicle. 



The total cost of owning and operating a vehicle is an aggregate of 

 such items as gas, depreciation, and so on. The cost of some items is a 

 function of use while others are a function of use and/or time. A rela- 

 tionship for each item was developed between cost and the common vari- 

 able, mileage-^. These relationships were then combined to form the 

 relationship between total cost and mileage for each vehicle type as 

 shown in Figures 3 and 4. 



For each vehicle, two relationships were developed. One is for oper- 

 ations conducted within a 50 mile radius and the other is for operations 

 within a 150 mile radius of the center. The two relationships are neces- 

 sary because insurance costs were found to vary with the radius of the 

 area of operation. 



For a given annual mileage, the cost increases with increasing vehi- 

 cle size but not in proportion to the increase in load capacity. At 30,000 

 miles a year with operations within a 50 mile radius, the cost per mile 

 ranges from a low of 12.1 cents for a type M vehicle to a high of 14.7 



3 See Appendix C for a description and derivation of vehicle costs. 



34 



