Fuel consumption of a high-capacity transport (HCT) vehicle combination for industrial roundwood hauling: a case study of laden timber truck combinations in Finland

ABSTRACT In this case study, the fuel consumption of a laden (i.e., the laden portion of the transport cycle) 92-tonne (92 t) high-capacity transport (HCT) timber truck combination was measured, modeled and compared to that of a normal 76 t timber truck combination in Finland. Fuel and CO2 emission savings, as well as potential resulting cost savings were also calculated for a future scenario where HCT (92 t) timber trucks are commonly utilized instead of normal (76 t) timber trucks for industrial roundwood hauling from wood terminals to mill yards. The data were collected during a long-term follow-up study in 2019 and 2020. The results revealed that the average payload weight was 27% higher for the HCT 92 t timber truck combination than the 76 t truck combination. Fuel consumption (using all two indicators, L 100 km−1 and mL tkm−1) for timber hauling with both laden vehicle combinations was higher in wintertime than summertime. The laden HCT 92 t timber truck combination had 8–11% lower fuel consumption (in mL tkm−1) than the 76 t truck combination over transport distances of 100–300 km. The calculations showed that there is a significant potential to achieve fuel, CO2 emission and cost savings using HCT vehicle combinations. On the basis of the study, it can be recommended to increase the number of energy-efficient HCT vehicle combinations in timber hauling. Consequently, lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions and higher environmental performance of industrial roundwood transport can be achieved.