However there are several limitations, mainly based around the current infrastructure in New Zealand’s remote regions. Many plantations only have one access road which is unused for decades barring a brief but intense period of use during harvesting (Transport 1). As a result of this the roads are ill-maintained and cause difficulties for truck drivers and their cargo, causing delays and potential damage to vehicles, staff, and products. Also, current weight restrictions on trucking limit the amount of cargo carried by each truck, minimizing their effectiveness and increasing the manpower and plant required for the task.
A valid solution for many of these issues is introducing more High-Productivity Motor Vehicles (HPMVs) into active use, allowing for greater cargo loads per truck and thereby minimizing the amount of trucks on the road (Transport 1). However the road network is not currently optimized for them, as the increased weight means many bridges and some roads cannot handle the increased mass, and the legislation in place makes it difficult for companies to get permits to use HPMVs.
Timber Transportation in 2015
Author: Gene Hopkins
The transportation of timber and related materials in New Zealand is a complex interweaving of many transport types and destinations and is constantly changing.
At the most simple breakdown, there are 5 steps: Saplings being delivered to plantations, grown trees felled and taken to a mill, products and waste materials distributed to stockpiling yards, shipments assembled at yard, transport to final destination locally or internationally.
The main mode of transport is by far trucking on roads, taking 70% of the internal transit of timber, timber waste materials and byproducts (Transport 1). The main advantage of road based delivery is the relative speed and flexibility, as shipments can be landed at a specific destination within hours, ready for further transportation or immediate use.
The rest of the transportation within New Zealand is done by coastal shipping or rail, with these not being more utilized due to the increased time of delivery and the lack of flexibility inherent to them. Internationally however almost all of the transportation is done via bulk freight or break bulk shipping, with a very small amount of high value cargo being shipped by air freight.
The main ports in use for international shipping are Tauranga, Whangarei and Gisborne, and the main destinations are China, Australia and Japan (Transport 2).
