Productivity, environment, costs... Transport is a major adjustment variable for quarries, yet one that is often underestimated.
Faced with a 41% increase in road traffic over the last 30 years, just-in-time customers and environmental requirements to save our planet, the proper management of aggregate transport is a major challenge.
Il est donc essentiel de choisir le bon mode de transport et d'adopter les bonnes pratiques ayant fait leurs preuves dans d'autres carrières. Synaxe synthétise toutes ses recherches dans cet article.
Choosing your means of transport
Le transport routier représente 95% du transport dans le secteur du BTP. On peut le comprendre : il est le mode de convoyage le plus flexible de par l'importance de son réseau.
Il existe néanmoins des modes de transport alternatifs - fluvial, maritime, ferroviaire - plus respectueux de l'environnement et qui permettent de transporter des productions plus importantes de granulats.
What are the criteria for choosing an aggregates transporter?
The No. 1 criterion for ensuring the profitability of your business is cost. While the service is generally invoiced according to the weight of the aggregates, some companies may also charge extra for fuel, drivers' meals and tolls. Less frequently, you may also have to pay for certain services, such as the use of a hydraulic crane for loading, storage at the depot, or acknowledgement of receipt of your production. So remember to assess all costs in advance, to avoid unpleasant surprises.
Criterion no. 2 is delivery quality. By quality, we mean customer service responsiveness, on-time delivery and truck driver professionalism. As the driver reflects your company to your customer, his behavior must be impeccable.
Criterion no. 3 is respect for the environment: what is your carrier doing to limit its ecological footprint?
- Quel carburant est utilisé par les véhicules ?
- Les bons de livraison sont-ils dématérialisés ?
- Les conducteurs sont-ils formés à l'écoconduite ?
- Les poids lourds sont-ils aux normes européennes ?
Few service providers tick all the boxes. Make sure, however, that the environment is one of their concerns and that they have already taken the first steps.
Which modes of transport are most popular?
If we focus on France, we can say that there are 3 main modes of transport for aggregates. We've left out sea transport, which remains the exception in mainland France.
Road transport
Road transport is currently the most popular mode of transport at quarries , as it offers a number of advantages such as:
- Disponibilité : en France, les chauffeurs routiers sont près de 600 000, contre 70 000 wagons de marchandises par exemple.
- Flexibilité : pour les commandes d'une distance courte à moyenne, il est possible d'approvisionner le client plusieurs fois dans la journée.
- Réactivité : les horaires sont beaucoup plus extensibles que d'autres moyens de transport tels que le train ou le bateau.
- Accessibilité : les chauffeurs peuvent venir chercher les granulats directement dans la carrière.
On the other hand, the quantities transported are smaller: skips have to be regularly refilled to meet demand. This mode of transport is also the most polluting and causes many nuisances for local residents: noise, traffic jams, safety risks...
An idea of the direct costs of this mode of aggregate transport: between €7.2 and €8.4 per tonne.
River transport
This mode of transport is a good alternative for transporting aggregates. Not only is it environmentally friendly, it can also be used to move large quantities of materials.
It's also an ideal solution for transporting waste to landfill or recycling sites: with no deadline imposed by the customer, you can afford to choose a slower mode of transport.
Nevertheless, the river solution lacks flexibility and can complicate the logistics chain: low frequency of departures, limited number of waterways, longer delivery times.
Idée des coûts directs de ce mode de transport de granulats : entre 6,8€ à 20 € par tonne.
Rail transport
Pour ce qui est du transport ferroviaire, côté environnement, c'est le grand gagnant ! Un train de marchandises émet 14 fois moins de CO2 / km en moyenne qu'un poids lourd pour une même masse transportée.
Railroads are also more numerous than inland waterways, although their number is declining due to high operating costs.
Another advantage is that there are plenty of lanes to choose from, even if some of them are destined to be permanently closed in the years to come.
On the other hand, this option requires unparalleled logistical management, as schedules are rarely flexible.
An idea of the direct costs of this mode of aggregate transport: between €6.6 and €7.8 per tonne.
Optimize road transport of aggregates from quarry to customers
Given the network of carriers in France, part of your delivery will inevitably involve road transport. So we're going to focus on this mode of transport to share a few tips with you.
Asking the right questions from the outset quarry
The question of transporting your aggregates arises even before you install your quarry. Ask yourself the following questions as early as possible:
- Who are your potential customers?
- Where are they located?
- What are their opening hours and delivery access times?
- Which train stations and ports are close to quarry ?
- How much aggregate and waste will you produce?
- Which routes around quarry are off-limits to heavy goods vehicles?
In this way, you can anticipate the delivery of your merchandise and avoid finding yourself up against the wall on the big day.
Managing truck flows
Managing the flow of heavy goods vehicles at quarry is one of the pillars of your aggregate transport logistics.
By optimizing these flows, you can :
- Réduire la file d'attente à l'entrée de la carrière et donc réduire les nuisances envers les riverains
- Diminuer le temps passé sur site par les conducteurs et donc augmenter la cadence de livraison
- Limiter les déplacements physiques de l'agent de bascule et donc limiter les risques pour la sécurité
Après avoir observé des dizaines de carriers à l'œuvre, nous avons identifié un certain nombre de solutions qui pourraient bien vous inspirer.
1) Regulate the flow of heavy goods vehicles on the quarry
The idea is to make it easier to move and load heavy goods vehicles at quarry.
Or you opt for the manual solution, i.e. you create schedules in Excel format, which you entrust to your weighing agents, who will be responsible for directing the vehicle drivers.
Or opt for the automatic solution. After setting the maximum number of vehicles in each loading zone, you let the system manage it for you. As soon as this number is reached, the software redirects drivers to the available zones.
The advantages of this second option:
- Les conducteurs s'adaptent à la situation de la carrière en temps réel
- Les camions passent moins de temps sur site
- Vous chargez plus vite votre marchandise et pouvez ensuite vous concentrer sur d'autres tâches sur le reste de votre journée
2) Use site entry and exit terminals
This solution consists of installing automatic bollards at the entrance and exit of quarry.
On arrival at the site, the terminal automatically detects the truck's license plate. The weighing agent receives a notification and validates the driver's entry into quarry. The driver then proceeds to the storage area to pick up the load. Back at the weighing point, the plate and weight of the load are automatically detected. The driver can then print out the delivery note or receive it on his application, if quarry uses dematerialized delivery notes.
The benefits:
- L'agent de bascule n'a plus besoin d'interagir physiquement avec le chauffeur
- Vous gérez plusieurs bascules en même temps
- Les collaborateurs et les chauffeurs ne se déplacent plus à pied et donc sont moins exposés aux accidents.
3) Set up dematerialized delivery notes
This solution involves replacing paper delivery notes with digital ones.
The benefits:
- Vous gagnez du temps : plus besoin de sortir un stylo et un support pour la signature
- Vous évitez à votre agent
de bascule des allers-retours inutiles entre sa cabine et les poids lourds
- Vous transmettez une image moderne à votre client
- Vous économisez du papier, et ça, c'est bon pour la planète !
In conclusion, optimizing the transportation of your aggregates is a key lever for :
- Votre cadence de production
- La satisfaction de vos clients
- L'environnement
- La sécurité de vos collaborateurs
Si vous souhaitez échanger sur la mise en place d'une de ces solutions, les membres de l'équipe Synaxe sont à votre disposition pour vous conseiller gratuitement.
Simply fill in this form and we'll get back to you within 24 hours.