Trucks and dumpers. Materials Transport Organisation

Abstract

The transport of materials implies an initial phase of organisation, during which information is collected. This is followed by a second one, in which the personnel and equipment have to be prepared. The first phase should include the inspection and study of the loading and unloading zones, the itinerary, the intermediate parking zones, security measures, estimate of overall needs and a circulation and transport plan. To estimate the material requirements it is necessary to determine the mean velocity of the transport units, and so calculate the average efficiency and the best compromise between the transport units to be employed and the capacity of the loading equipment. If there is a single line of transport, a safety factor must be introduced to avoid total stoppage of the loading machinery if there is no available transport vehicle. If the transport itinerary is variable, the critical distance will have to be worked out, such that for greater distances an additional transport unit should be added, to avoid the loading equipment being forced to work below its economical rate. These recommendations are not rigid, since the solution to be adopted will always depend finally on the flexibility of the total means that are available for use at a given moment. As the general circumstances vary, in the course of a given project, the optimum method of handling a given difficulty will also vary.