Forest Industry Transport Group

Proposal for funding Support to stimulate the use of Variable Tyre Pressure in Timber Haulage

Submission by the Forest Industry Transport Group (FITG)

(For any queries relating to this, please contact John Lyons, Chairman FITG. 086/8175859)

Forest Industry Transport Group

  1. Introduction

Many forests are found on poorer soils or in mountainous regions. As a consequence, public road access to a sizable proportion of Irish forest properties is over local roads, some of which are of poorer quality.

Use of these poorer roads is essential for transporting harvested timber crops to wood processing facilities. As a consequence, a proportion of these poorer quality roads are prone to incurring damages while subjected to legitimate use, including that of the timber haulage sector.

There can be a perception by some other parties outside the forest industry that timber haulage is solely the cause of the local road damage, and seek to have timber haulage restricted, even though other industries use some of the same roads while weather and other environmental factors also have a substantial impact over time.

Awareness & Action

The forest industry is aware that its activity may sometimes impact on poorer quality local roads but does what it can to lessen these impacts. On occasions it restricts vehicle types and / or load sizes but these restrictionshave a significant financial impact on the timber grower which is difficult to bear as they are dealing with a low value commodity. This approach has the additional drawback of requiring a greater number of vehicle movements resulting from the lower weight limits being used in each haul. The higher number of vehicle movements negate, to some extent at least, the benefit of having a lower weight being carried in each vehicle movement. Furthermore, the approach has the potential of creating greater upset to the local community due to the higher number of vehicle movements through the community.

The state forest owner, Coillte, closely monitors vehicle delivery weights for its timber and imposes restrictions on hauliers that repeatedly exceed Gross Vehicle Weight limits.

All major forestry stakeholders participate in the Forest Industry Transport Group (FITG), whose membership includes the Forest Service, Dept of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Dept. of Transport, Local Authorities, Teagasc, Coillte, Irish Forest and Forest Products Association, Irish Farmers’ Association, Irish Timber Growers’ Association, Sawmilling Industry, Timber Hauliers, UCD and PTR consultants. The objective of the group is to discuss issues impacting on the Irish timber transport industry generally, provide common understanding of the issues and promote good practices in a collaborative manner.

The most recent FITG publication is a Good Practice Guide for Managing Timber Haulage and this is being launched and distributed to all stakeholders in 2014. The FITG has also recognised the potential of value of variable tyre pressure (VTP) technology as a means of lessening the impacts of timber haulage on low quality local roads.

Technological Solution

VTP technology allows a suitably equipped haulage truck to adjust tyre pressures, while on the move, to suit road, speed and load conditions. By reducing tyre pressure, the contact patch between the tyre and road surface increases with the effect of significantly reducing stress on the road surface which results in far less damage to the road while in some cases it can result in no damage being done at all.

VTP has been in existence for many years, mostly for military use, but has been adopted commercially in many countries over recent years. Forest industries in Canada, USA, New Zealand, Australia, Finland and Sweden are successfully using it. Closer to home,and with similar roads issues to us in Ireland, Scotland are using this and over 100 timber haulage trucks are fitted with this technology.

Not all forests depend on poorer quality roads for access and, because of this, there would be no benefit in equipping all timber haulage trucks. Based upon the Scottish experience in similar environments to those encountered in Ireland, it is estimated that a critical mass of 25% to 30% of the timber haulage fleet fitted with VTP technology has the potential to make a significant contribution to the lowering of expenditure on road repairs, while at the same time benefitting local communities and community relationships.

  1. Background

Value of the industry

Approximately 10.6% of Ireland is now under forestry with just very slightly under half of this in private ownership. The State has made significant investment in the growth of the private estate through grant aid schemes and annual premiums. Much of this private forest estate is reaching the productive stage, where thinnings (initial timber production) should commence. This is the start of a return on the State’s investment and is in keeping with the original intention of this investment by the State. However, if accessing portions of this estate proves to be problematic due to poor access or even restricted by actions of external parties, the timber will not be moved and the intended benefits of investment in forestry will be lost to all.

Additionally, the timber processing industry has made significant investments in recent years so as to prepare themselves for the anticipated increased supply of domestic timber. Unavailability of timber due to restrictive practices employed by external parties will impact and undermine the processing sector putting jobs and exports at serious risk.

Harvesting and haulage businesses will be impactedif available timber is blocked from coming to market.

All subsectors within the forestry sector offer sustainable rural employment expansion as the national forest estate becomes more productive. However, this can only be realised if timber can be harvested and transported to the market.

In summary, restrictions on timber movement impact on –

  • The State which has already invested heavily in getting these private forests established in these areas on the basis of commercial timber being available for the market and process or use for energy.
  • The forest owner;
  • Forest agents who assist owners manage forests;
  • Timber harvesting contractors;
  • Timber haulage contractors;
  • Timber processing sector (sawmills, panel board plants, wood pellet producers;
  • All those who rely on the above list for their own business needs. These include, but would not be limited to, vehicle and equipment maintenance companies, fuel suppliers and quarries (for road materials);
  • Additionally, if areas cannot ultimately be clearfelled, establishment contractors who would replant the area will also lose out.

Necessity of timber mobilisation

If forests are not harvested on time they will in most cases reach a top height that makes them highly susceptible to storm damage. Once fallen, the risk and cost associated with the clearing of such damaged forest sites is potentially dangerous and expensive. Furthermore, the damage done to trees, through snap, shattering and stress reduces timber quality and therefore value.The resultant timber must still be transported across the local road network but under more difficult and potentially urgent circumstances. Therefore it is in all stakeholders’ interests to ensure that such an eventuality does not arise.

Timber transport is an essential part of the supply chain in moving raw material from its production site to wood processing facilities. Any impact or restriction on timber haulage has an impact on the viability of the entire forest industry. Timber haulage costs can be one third of the delivered–in cost of the wood, so any increasedcost in the supply chain affects the economic viability of a forest area

Access Difficulties

Co-operation of all parties is needed to minimise any road restrictions. This is the thrust of the Good Practice Guide for Managing Timber Transport. At the annual conference of the UK Timber Transport Forum in March 14th a further document, ‘Tread Softly’ was launched, aimed at reducing the impacts of timber haulage on weak roads.

The forest industry produces a low value commodity product and operates on very tight margins. Road restrictions that impact on haulage will effectively eliminate all chances of any viable return for timber producers, hauliers and processors. As a consequence of a road restriction the timber harvesting may be cancelled, resulting in no benefit to any part of the greater forest industry. Protection of roads in this manner, by restriction, will damage a young and developing industry, impacting all 12,000 of those depending on it for a living. Another downside is that if the forest is not thinned at the appropriate age, then, as the top height increases the trees become more susceptible to windblow and are more likely to blow down in a storm.

Industry Approach

The Forest Industry Transport Group has already been referred to together with its work in promoting low impact timber haulage. This is being done via increased collaboration between all parties involved.

A further aspect of this work is to look at the road network, the Coillte forest estate, the private forest locations, and see the projected timber movements in the years ahead, in terms of volumes, locations and timing. This information can lead to ‘agreed routes’ for timber haulage, thereby lessening the impacts of timber movement where possible.

Currently, Coillte is by far the greatest timber producer but its output is static, while the private forestry supply is increasing significantly as can be seen on this graph.

Coillte, as the largest timber producer increasingly works in co-operation with the roads authorities in relation to timber transport issues.

A significant proportion of Coillte timber is sold by auction as standing timber, to sawmills who then engage their contract harvester and hauliers, whose representative body, the Irish Timber Council (ITC), is a member of the FITG and supports this initiative and approach.

Private sectorforest owners or their representatives are sometimes reluctant to approach the roads authority due to prior negative experiences and for fear that such an approach forewarns the authority whose initial reaction may be to restrict the road use. They are smaller owners, more fragmented and this makes meaningful co-operation/negotiation is more difficult. Consequently, difficulties can arise which jeopardise any return at all for the private forest owner.

It should also be recognised that most private forest owners live near to their forests and are therefore a part of the community. If these private forest owners are seen to have a positive experience as forest owners this will, in itself, contribute to a changed community attitude to the sector as it will no longer be seen as a “faceless corporate” operating in their locality with a perceived lack of care to the community or its roads.

Coillte recently supported a haulier to equip a truck with VTP technology to operate on a weak county road in Mayo. Independently, another haulier equipped a truck with VTP to allow increased access to haul timber on public roadsin Leitrim / Cavan that otherwise might be restricted. The demonstrable benefits of these two projects have now been seen. However the experience is that the cost to the haulier is too great if the haulage fleet is to achieve the required level of 25-30% of vehicles being VTP-equipped. The industry now requires a financial stimulus to hauliersto assist in the fitting out of more trucks with VTPwhich will benefitall of the industry, the roads authorities, local communities, other road users, tourists etc.

  1. Proposed technical solution

Introduction to VTP

VTP, also known as central tyre inflation (CTI) or tyre pressure control (TPC), is a system fitted to trucks that allows the driver to adjust tyre pressures while on the move at just the touch of a button.

Tyre pressures are pre-set for various road types and loading conditions. The driver selects the appropriate setting. The system has appropriate safety systems in place that warns the driver when the speed is above that recommended for the selected tyre pressure. If the driver ignores the warning, the system will re-inflate the tyres to the correct pressure.

Benefits of VTP

VTP provides multiple benefits, of varying levels, to the:

  • Haulier
  • Road owner
  • Timber owner
  • Local community
  • The environment

The Haulier will benefit due to the reduction in vehicle vibration, with less vehicle maintenance on small items such asbulbs or mudguards. Anotherbenefit should be increased tyre life, slightly reduced fuel consumption, and increased safety due to greater driver comfort and less fatigue. He may also negotiate an increased market share as he / she may be able to access sites that others without VTP cannot access.There will bea small increase in costs in maintaining the system.However this is more than offset by the reduction in down time on soft and slippery sites due to the emergency traction setting which enables trucks to manoeuvre where before an additional tow or push may have been required.

The Road Owner (forest, right of way or public) benefits from reduced road damage resulting in lower road maintenance and repair costs. This is seen as the greatest benefit of using VTP systems. There will be less need for haulage of road maintenance materials to repair roads, which is an added benefit as such trucks would also impact on those weak roads.

The Timber Owner, and User can benefit in possibly two ways – haulage cost savings due to the reduced need for double handling half loads and potentially increased sales through opening up of some otherwise inaccessible sites. It is these savings / improved revenues that can turn otherwise uneconomic crops into available wood fibre for the timber processing industry which in turn contributes significantly to the national economy through increased sustainable employment and product exports.

The Local Community can benefit in two ways – less double handling (half loads) means fewer truck movements through their neighbourhoods and minimising road damage means less road maintenance and less disruptionfor locals getting around about their business.Indeed, the benefits are exponential as this is likely to also mean fewer trucks delivering road maintenance materials, few road blocks to enable such repairs and so on.

The environment also benefits through reduced carbon emission from fewer vehicle movements together with less obvious benefits such as improved vehicle performance over its lifetime, reduced tyre wear resulting in less frequent disposal of such items and so on. This can be achieved throughthe reduction in double handling, and a slight fuel saving when operating the VTP where the appropriate tyre pressures are used in different situations and generally reduced wear and tear on the vehicle resulting in reduced need for replacements and related disposals.

Experience overseas

As previously mentioned, this is not something new that needs to be researched. What is required however is innovation, how to get this practice into use where it has advantages. Knowledge and experience is available from Canada, USA, New Zealand, Australia, Sweden, and Finland and,more importantly due to its similar environment, Scotland.

As proof of VTP’s benefit to roads, trucks, equipped with this technology in Swedenand Finland are allowed use roads when they are at their weakest during the spring thaw. Temporary weight limits are imposed on public/forest roads during the spring thaw to restrict heavy vehicle usage but VTP equipped trucks are exempt from the weight restriction.

In Scotland, the first truck fitted with VTP was in 2006 jointly funded by the Forestry Commission (FC) and a Local Authority. This truck was used to demonstrate the technology. In most parts of Scotland, there now operates a designated routes system for timber haulage where use of VTP can be prescribed as a requirement while operating on some roads. Scotland is able to take this approach as the appropriate haulage fleet is in place, fitted with VTP technology, to enable forest owners to comply with such requirements.

Experience in Ireland

In Ireland, the uptake of VTP technology has been slow even though the benefits are well proven elsewhere. The main reason for this is that the initial financial outlay must be made by the haulier who was not guaranteed any return on this investment.

The forest industry has been operating on very tight margins for many years. Hauliers are finding it difficult to re-invest in new vehicles as can be seen from the age profile of the fleet and hauliers will question why they should invest and how the investment can be paid back.

To date, there has been no incentive for them to make the investment.

This adoption of VTP will not happen overnight but on a piecemeal basis. In the meantime, in 2014 UCD commenced a 2 year project, on agreed haulage routes. If an incentive scheme can be designed to have VTP fitted to a proportion of trucks over the next two years, then in two years’ time this practice could be operational nationally, and used together with agreed haulage routes that emanate from the UCD project.