Analyzing The Views of Logging Contractors and Timber Haulers On The Idle Times of Their Machine and Truck Fleets
Fuel costs play an essential role in the operations and profitability of Finnish logging and timber hauling enterprises. The idle times of logging machines and timber trucks and their fuel consumption have remained for less research activities. In the study of the University of Eastern Finland, Trade Association of Finnish Forestry and Earth Moving Contractors and Finnish Transport and Logistics SKAL, the idle times of logging machinery and timber trucks and possibilities for reducing them were investigated. Study materials were collected by two Webropol inquiries. The response link was sent out to 339 timber haulers in February 2023. A total of 87 haulers responded to the survey. Furthermore, the response link was distributed to 817 logging contractors (loggers) in May 2023. Totally 146 loggers responded to the survey.
The study revealed that the timber haulers have detected idle times significantly more frequently than the loggers: Only a quarter of the loggers reported that they have investigated the idle times of their machine fleet. On the contrary, a half of the timber haulers said that they have sorted out the idle times of their truck fleet. Entrepreneurs who had explored the idle times of their fleets evaluated significantly higher idling percentages than entrepreneurs who had not searched the idle times. There was no statistically significant difference between loggers and haulers in their estimated idle times. Moreover, entrepreneurs who had examined the idle times of their forest machine or timber truck fleets noticed significantly more opportunities to reduce the idle times of machine and truck fleets in the wood supply chain than entrepreneurs who had not explored the idle times. The loggers pointed out that the best opportunities to reduce the idle times of forest machines are planning of logging operations carried out by a machine operator at harvesting site, as well as starting and termination tasks at the harvesting site. Correspondingly, timber haulers underlined that the most significant opportunities to reduce the idle times of timber trucks are waiting times at the timber reception area of mill, breaks and rest periods of truck drivers, and refueling the truck.
The study concluded that there is a significant potential to reduce the idle times and further fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions of forest machine and timber truck fleets in the wood supply chain of the Finnish forest industries. The comprehensive research data on the actual idle times are also needed in the future.