Perceiving Major Problems in Forest Products Transportation by Trucks and Trailers: A Cross-sectional Survey

Year 2017, Volume: 3 Issue: 1, 23 - 34, 30.06.2017

Anil Koirala , Anil Raj Kizha Brian E. Roth

Abstract

Hauling forest products from harvesting sites to the
mills is a crucial component in forest operation which directly influence the
cost of delivered products. Although past researchers have focused on various
aspects of transportation including logistics modeling, productivity of
trucking on various road conditions and terrain, the challenges in forest
trucking are by far unnoticed. This study attempted to address some of the prominent
issues on forest products trucking by using cross-sectional questionnaire
survey technique. The survey was carried out in a regional council of forest
engineers’ workshop. With a response rate of 31.22%, the majority of
respondents had more than 25 years of experience working in the forestry
sector.  Location and availability of
markets was ranked as the major challenge faced by the industry followed by the
lack of skilled truck drivers. The effective ways to reduce truck waiting times
at harvesting and processing facilities along with opportunities for
back-hauling of empty trucks were also analyzed. Average distance traveled by a
single truck in a typical harvesting operation was found to be 98 km one-way.
The findings can be utilized by the policy makers to formulate laws to support
the industry and to develop management guidelines for specific trucking
situations.

Keywords

Back-hauling, Forest transportation, Management guidelines, Roads, Truck drivers

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