%0 Research article
%T Characteristics and time consumption of timber trucking in Finland
%A Nurminen, Tuomo
%A Heinonen, Jaakko
%D 2007
%J Silva Fennica
%V 41
%N 3
%R doi:10.14214/sf.284
%U https://silvafennica.fi/article/284
%X Cost efficiency and flexibility have become increasingly important in  the logistics of cut-to-length harvesting operations. At the same time,  the operating conditions for long-distance transportation have become  more demanding and variable. Since the number of log products has  increased and the size of harvesting sites has decreased, loads of  timber must increasingly be collected from several log decks, increasing  the time consumption and costs of the trucking operation. The  objectives of this study were to formulate time-consumption models for  typical timber transportation activities in Finland and introduce a  statistical procedure for examining the variation in time consumption  during the trucking phases. The study used a combination of time studies  and follow-up studies based on empirical data for 368 loads (a total  volume of nearly 18 000 m<sup>3</sup>) collected from one wood  procurement district in central Finland. The model included the  following explanatory factors: driving distance, number of log decks,  log product and load volume. Since transportation includes several  phases and since many factors affect the work performance, significant  variation in the total transportation time was observed. This makes  planning and cost accounting more difficult. The models developed in  this study are a promising initial tool to support route planning and  optimization, and cost and profitability calculations for trucking  entrepreneurs and the forest industry.