Logging trucks: rigs, bunks and stakes, log securement rules and how log hauling pays

Types of log trucks

A log truck with a grapple, the self-loader, can load itself where the logging crew has no loader on site. It costs more to buy and weighs more, which takes payload away, so most high-volume operations use separate loaders and lighter trucks.

Bunks, stakes and headracks

Bunks are the cross beams the logs rest on. Stakes stand up from the ends of each bunk and keep the logs from rolling off the side. The headrack, a strong wall behind the cab, protects the driver if the load shifts forward under hard braking. Together they cradle the load; the chains or wrappers hold it down. See the terms log bunks and headrack.

Log securement: the federal rules

Logs have their own securement section in the federal rules, 49 CFR 393.116. Source The key points:

• Logs must be solidly packed, with the outer bottom logs resting against the bunks, bolsters or stakes.
• On a frame vehicle or a flatbed with bunks, the tiedowns must add up to at least one-sixth of the stack's weight in working load limit.
• Longwood loaded lengthwise rides in two or more bunks and is held by at least two tiedowns, or two wrappers around the whole load.
• On pole trailers, use at least one tiedown at each bunk, or two wrappers that encircle the load.

Logs that are banded into units can follow the general cargo rules instead.

Worked example EXAMPLE

A stack of logs on a frame trailer weighs 48,000 lb. One-sixth of that is 8,000 lb, so the tiedowns on the stack must have working load limits that add up to at least 8,000 lb. Two chains rated 5,400 lb each give 10,800 lb, which clears it. Check the rating stamped on each chain and binder, not what the seller said.

Weight, the scale and the bridge formula

Logs are heavy and their weight varies with species and moisture, so a load that looked legal in the woods can scale heavy at the mill. On the Interstate the limit is 80,000 lb gross, with axle groups held to the bridge formula. Source Source Some states allow heavier log trucks on state roads under their own rules or permits, so know the limits on the roads you actually run. Check axle spacing with the bridge formula calculator.

Hauling lumber

Lumber hauling is a different job from log hauling. Finished lumber and panels ship from mills and yards on flatbeds, strapped down with edge protection, and the federal rules for building products apply: bundles in contact or kept from shifting, with tiedowns over the top tiers. Source It moves on load boards and broker freight much like steel, and it is steady work for flatbed owner-operators.

Safety around log loads

The dangerous moments come before and after the drive. Stay in the cab or well clear while the loader works, because a log can fall from the grapple. Before you throw a chain, look at how the load sits: a log resting against a chain will roll when it comes loose. At the mill, release binders from the side away from the stack where you can, and never stand where a log would land. On the road, take curves slowly; a high log load shifts its weight outward, and woods roads are narrow, soft at the edges and shared with loaded trucks coming the other way.

Check the chains again after the first few miles out of the woods. Bark slips and logs settle, and a chain that was tight at the landing can loosen before you reach the paved road. A few minutes with a binder bar there is cheaper than a load on the shoulder.

Seasons and the work week

Log hauling follows the woods. In many northern regions, the spring thaw brings seasonal weight limits that slow or stop log hauling on soft roads, and dry summers can bring fire restrictions on work in the forest. Winter, when the ground is frozen, can be the busiest season. Most log hauls are short runs from the woods to a nearby mill, often within the short-haul hours exception for drivers who stay within 150 air-miles and return the same day. Source For distance comparisons see short haul trucking, line haul trucking and long haul trucks.

Becoming a log truck driver

You need a Class A CDL for most log trucks Source, and the hiring logging contractors usually want experience on gravel and dirt roads, backing on narrow landings and, often, running a loader. The pre-trip matters more than on most trucks: the bunks, stakes, chains and binders take a beating in the woods. Source Many drivers start with a local logging contractor and learn the roads before buying their own truck.

How log hauling pays

Most log hauling is paid by the load or by the ton delivered to the mill, set by contract between the logger, the mill and the trucker. Long hauls from far-off timber pay more per load but fewer loads a day. Wait time at the mill scale and slow woods roads cut into the day, so drivers watch loads per day as closely as rate per load. Log hauling rarely runs through load boards, which is why we don't dispatch log trucks, but the lumber that comes out of the mill does: see our flatbed dispatch.