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A Hatton-Brown Publication Co-Publisher David H. Ramsey Co-Publisher David (DK) Knight Chief Operating Officer Dianne C. Sullivan PUBLISHING OFFICE Street Address: 225 Hanrick Street Montgomery, AL 36104-3317 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 2268 Montgomery, AL 36102-2268 Telephone (334) 834-1170 Fax 334-834-4525
Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers Browse, subscribe or renew: www.timberharvesting.com
Executive Editor David (DK) Knight Editor-in-Chief Rich Donnell Western Editor Dan Shell Senior Associate Editor David Abbott Associate Editor Jessica Johnson Associate Editor Jay Donnell Art Director/Prod. Mgr. Cindy Segrest Ad Production Coord Patti Campbell Circulation Director Rhonda Thomas Marketing/Media Jordan Anderson ADVERTISING SALES REPRESENTATIVES SOUTHERN USA Randy Reagor (904) 393-7968 • Fax: (334) 834-4525 E-mail: reagor@bellsouth.net
Vol. 66, No. 2: Issue 667
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OurCover Rolling for 60 years, Siletz Trucking continues as a steadfast log hauling entity in northwest Oregon, moving more than 50 million BF each year. The employee-owned company, known for its safety commitment, management skills, talent and professionalism, employs 44 and dispatches 26 trucks of its own. Begin reading on PAGE 10. (Dan Shell photo)
OurFeatures
MIDWEST USA, EASTERN CANADA John Simmons (905) 666-0258 • Fax: (905) 666-0778 E-mail: jsimmons@idirect.com WESTERN USA, WESTERN CANADA Tim Shaddick (604) 910-1826 • Fax: (604) 264-1367 E-mail: tootall1@shaw.ca
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Transportation Management
INTERNATIONAL Murray Brett +34 96 640 4165 • + 34 96 640 4048 E-mail: murray.brett@abasol.net
Driver, Safety, Technology Issues
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Features NY State’s Johnsons
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CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING Bridget DeVane 334-699-7837 bdevane7@hotmail.com Timber Harvesting & Wood Fiber Operations (ISSN 21542333) is published 6 times annually (January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/October, November/December issues are combined) by HattonBrown Publishers, Inc., 225 Hanrick St., Montgomery, AL 36104. Subscriptions are free to U.S. logging, pulpwood and chipping contractors and their supervisors; managers and supervisors of corporate-owned harvesting operations; wood suppliers; timber buyers; businesses involved in land grooming and/or land clearing, wood refuse grinding and right-of-way maintenance; wood procurement and land management officials; industrial forestry purchasing agents; wholesale and retail forest equipment representatives and forest/logging association personnel. All non-qualified U.S. subscriptions are $50 annually; $60 in Canada; $95 (airmail) in all other countries (U.S. funds). Single copies, $5 each; special issues, $20 (U.S. funds). Subscription Inquiries— TOLL-FREE 800-669-5613; Fax 888-611-4525. Go to www.timberharvesting.com and click on the subscribe button to subscribe/renew via the web. All advertisements for Timber Harvesting magazine are accepted and published by Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. with the understanding that the advertiser and/or advertising agency are authorized to publish the entire contents and subject matter thereof. The advertiser and/or advertising agency will defend, indemnify and hold Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. harmless from and against any loss, expenses, or other liability resulting from any claims or lawsuits for libel violations or right of privacy or publicity, plagiarism, copyright or trademark infringement and any other claims or lawsuits that may arise out of publication of such advertisement. Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. neither endorses nor makes any representation or guarantee as to the quality of goods and services advertised in Timber Harvesting & Wood Fiber Operations. Copyright ® 2018. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Periodicals postage paid at Montgomery, Ala. and at additional mailing offices. Printed in USA.
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MyTake JIMMIE LOCKLEAR jlocklear@forestrymutual.com, 910-733-3300
Log Truck Owner’s Responsibilities: Examining The Why, What, What If
test/ride along and it must be documented.
As a former log truck driver in another era, and in more recent years one who has made a living in the insurance industry, I am keenly aware of the many issues confronting the log-chip-residue transportation segment. I have worked in the insurance side for 27 years, along the way joining others to form a group to help reduce logging e uipment fire incidents. More recently I assisted in forming T afe Trucking a non profit that seeks to stabilize and improve the challenging transportation side by emphasizing driver selection and training and adherence to federal regulations. Over time I have become intently focused on the serious responsibilities that fall to the log truck owner. I see the driver and owner sharing the responsibilities for the safe, sustainable transportation of logs, chips and other residues. The driver is responsible for driving the truck in a safe and efficient manner and ensuring the truck is in a safe operating condition. The owner’s responsibilities—driver selection, truck-trailer mechanical condition, and compliance with government and insurance carrier requirements—begin earlier. Let me share a real-life story to emphasize the importance of following Federal Motor Carrier Administration (FMCA) requirements and insurance guidelines.
This accident should have never happened and here are just a few reasons why: 1. If the owner had either required the driver to bring his MVR report or waited for the insurance company to approve the driver after it reviewed the MVR, the owner would have realized the driver’s license was “invalid” due to the expiration of his health card. 2. The driver’s MVR revealed he would not be an acceptable driver based on most insurance company driving record guidelines. 3. The health card was not valid due to several medications the driver was taking for various conditions. Most of these medications carried the warnings, “may cause dizziness” or “drowsiness” as well as “do not drive a motor vehicle.” Several prescription containers with the driver’s name on them were found in the cab of the truck. 4. Blood samples taken at the hospital showed the driver tested positive for several of these drugs. The number of times this type of scenario has played out would be shocking to many, and it is far too common. Unfortunately, many of us in the insurance industry are not surprised. Time and time again we see claims forms come across our desks for accidents that could have easily been prevented. I have many concerns about loggers and truckers finding good drivers and I have experienced these concerns personally. Finding and keeping good, dependable drivers, and paying them well will continue to be a major problem. The diligent hiring of drivers is one of the most important responsibilities for loggers and log truckers.
Real Life Story—Why ABC Timber Co. owned three tractor-trailer log trucks and, like many outfits found it tough to hire and keep ualified dependable drivers. nly two of its trucks were used because the owner could not find another suit able driver. The demand for logs began to increase, and ABC’s owner began thinking a lot about pulling in additional income with that third truck. He was approached by a man seeking a part-time job. The owner, who was somewhat selective in hiring, questioned the potential driver about his experience and 4
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driving record and was told that he had many years of experience driving log trucks and had a relatively clean MVR. The owner contacted his insurance company about adding the driver and was waiting for a return call. Trusting the man’s answers to be truthful, the owner decided to let the man get behind the wheel, fully expecting the insurance company to accept the driver. On the second day of employment the driver was headed to the mill with a load, traveling on a road he was not familiar with. He approached a slight curve with dip in the pavement. The speed he was traveling and the undetected dip caused the trailer to lean significantly to the right and the driver over-corrected and lost control. The rig crossed the center line and rolled over on the driver’s side, spilling logs and trapping the driver. Unfortunately, the driver later died from his injuries. The truck and trailer were destroyed. A brief time later the owner was notified that his insurance coverages were being cancelled due to his failure to follow FMCA’s strict rules and insurance carrier guidelines. The owner faced a situation that could shut down his business.
Failure To Comply—What Here is a brief outline of a few actions that must be taken by any log truck owner prior to allowing a new hire to begin driving. —You must have a written application copy of license on file for every CDL driver that you hire. —You must request, review and keep a copy of a Motor Vehicle Record for every CDL driver. —FMCSA requires truck owners to contact previous employers of CDL drivers. —Make sure that your insurance carrier approves a driver’s MVR before letting he or she drive. —All CDL drivers must be drug tested prior to employment, then placed in a consortium. —New drivers must pass a road
The Facts—What If
Innocent Lives On any weekday around mid-afternoon there could have been a school bus meeting this log truck. Other times it could have been another truck or your family or my family. Please take driver selection seriously and follow all FMCA and Insurance Carrier requirements. TH
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NewsLines WestRock Expands With Purchase Of Kapstone WestRock is acquiring KapStone for $4.9 billion. KapStone is a leading North American producer and distributor of containerboard, corrugated products and specialty papers, including liner and medium containerboard, kraft papers and saturating kraft. KapStone also owns Victory Packaging, a packaging solutions distribution company. ap tone is a great fit with est Rock. Their complementary corrugated packaging and distribution operations will enhance WestRock’s ability to serve customers across our system, particularly in the Western United States,” say Steve Voorhees, CEO of WestRock. The transaction increases the mix of virgin fiber based paper in est ock’s paper portfolio. KapStone’s 3 million tons of paper is made using 78% virgin fiber and 22 recovered fiber. This increases WestRock’s overall mix of virgin fiber from to . KapStone operates four paper mills, 22 converting plants and more than warehouses and distribution centers in North America.
NewLife FP Plans Sawmill Expansion
NewLife Forest Products appears to be in line for an air quality permit for a planned expansion of its sawmill operation, known as the Lumberjack Mill, in Heber, Ariz. The company’s application for the permit states it is proposing to upgrade the equipment and production capacity to annually in order to support its obligations under the Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI). The upgraded Lumberjack mill will process ponderosa pine logs collected from four national forests. NewLife represents the new investors group that took over daily operations of Good Earth Power AZ, including a Forest Service stewardship contract that seeks to thin or otherwise treat 300,000 acres in 10 years, dating back to 20 2 but which barely covered 0 000 acres in the first five years. The 4FRI project encompasses several million acres in the Coconino, Kaibab, Apache-Sitgreaves and Tonto national forests and their ponderosa 6
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Four New SYP Sawmills Announced Southern pine lumber sawmills will soon be spreading like kudzu, with four companies in the past month making announcements that they’re building new ones. Rex Lumber Co. plans to invest $110 million to build a sawmill with a minimum 2 0 annual production capacity near Troy la. Rex Lumber currently operates three sawmills, two in the Florida Panhandle and one in ississippi producing a total of annually. Site work at the new Pike County sawmill was scheduled to start in March. Pike County was chosen over sites considered in several other Southern states. e umber founded in the 20s by . . c ae continues to be owned and operated by the Finley McRae family of Graceville, Fla. Hunt Forest Products, based in Rushton, La., and Tolko Industries of Canada will partner and build a $ million sawmill in rania a. The venture will operate as LaSalle Lumber Company LLC and will be managed by and operated by Hunt on a daily basis. onstruction is e pected to start in pril and the facility will employ 0 when operations begin in anuary 20 and will employ 0 at full capacity. It is estimated the mill will re uire 0 000 tons of logs annually to produce 200 of lumber annually according to the company. The facility will be located on 2 acres of the old 2 acre ouisiana acific sawmill site. ra iomass now occupies the other 0 acres of that site and the sawmill is planning to supply residuals and wood fiber to ra for use in manufacturing wood pellets, eorgia acific announced it will build a sawmill at arrenton a. on property ad acent its e isting lumber mill. onstruction of the $ million plant is scheduled to begin this summer. GP expects the facility to produce 0 annually. As previously announced, GP is also constructing a sawmill in Talladega, Ala. that GP says will begin production this summer. The Talladega and Warrenton sawmills are two of several that GP reports it is planning to build. Also, Canfor Corp. announced it plans to build a sawmill in Washington, a. with an investment of $ 20 million and with a production capacity of 2 annually. The mill will be located near the company’s glulam facility in Washington. However, shortly after that announcement, Canfor followed with an announcement that the contractor it had selected to build the Washington sawmill had informed Canfor of a previous commitment that may prevent that contractor’s construction of the Washington mill. pine stands, and comes on the heels of years of devastating wildfires. The investors who stepped in to take operational control of Good Earth at the end of 20 say they are pursuing a less vertically-integrated business model and are working more with outside contractors as opposed to owning timber harvesting, chipping and trucking capacity. In addition, NewLife Forest Products is planning a greenfield small log mill in Williams, Ariz. The Forest Service originally awarded one I contract in 20 2 to a ontana based firm with little e perience over a local group seeking to build an plant to utili e the small diameter material. ut the contract
winner, Pioneer Forest Products, could never gain financing for its plans to build a cutting mill and small log facility along with biofuel plant. In 20 the contract was transferred to Good Earth Power, a company with even less experience. It brought in the Campbell Group for procurement management, but that relationship soured into a lawsuit.
Price Companies Wins Bid For Fulghum Fibres
The Price Companies of Monticello, Ark. submitted the highest bid in a bankruptcy court auction for the purchase of ulghum ibres an affiliate company of Rentech. The Price Compa-
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NewsLines nies out bid an affiliate of cott avis hip o. based in labama. The rice ompanies officially closed on the deal in mid ebruary. entech amid filing for bankruptcy earlier reported that it had sold its ulghum ibres business to an affiliate of cott avis hip o. for $2 million. ut on anuary 0 The rice ompanies and its affiliate irehunt Inc. filed an ob ection to the ale otion and delivered a competing bid for the ulghum assets. The rice ompanies like ulghum is a chip mill operator and contractor. t a hearing on anuary after arguments from rice and other creditors the ankruptcy ourt allowed an auction for the sale of ulghum to proceed. fter receiving several bids from cott avis and rice it was determined that rice had submitted the highest and best bid for ulghum. rice agreed to ac uire ulghum and assume certain specified liabilities for a base purchase price of $ 0 000 which includes the assumption or payoff by rice of appro imately $20 mil-
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lion of debt . pon the closing of the sale the ulghum sellers were to terminate the earlier ulghum purchase agreement with cott avis and pay the $ 0 000 break up fee re uired under the terms of the agreement. The ulghum sellers were to be reimbursed for the break up fee by rice. n ebruary 2 20 the ankruptcy ourt entered an order authori ing the sale of ulghum to rice. entech purchased ulghum ibres in 20 for $ 2 million including 2 wood chip mills si of which were in outh merica.
Immunity Is No Defense For State Of Oregon
n regon district udge has refused to dismiss a 20 lawsuit filed by counties with state forests within their borders that claimed state officials have refused to ma imi e timber revenues from lands that counties donated to the state years ago. ttorneys for the state had claimed sovereign immunity in the matter a doctrine that county gov-
ernments can’t sue the state government and while the udge initially allowed it as a possible defense his most recent ruling says that in this case counties can sue the state to enforce their contract rights. t issue are timber sale revenues from state lands that were initially donated to the state decades ago along with accompanying legislation that the lands should be managed for the greatest permanent value and revenues shared with the counties. ccording to the suit state forestry officials began reducing timber revenues in favor of recreational and environmental protection priorities 20 years ago via an internal policy change. s a result the counties believe they have been shortchanged and are asking the state for more than $ billion in revenues. The udge’s ruling clears the way for the trial to begin says counties’ attorney ohn i oren o adding that maybe the regon ept. of orestry will take the case seriously claiming that until now the state believed it would be easily dismissed.
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Siletz Trucking: Log Hauling Pros Oregon company is known for technology, management skills, talent, professionalism. DANShell
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O
perating successfully across part of seven decades and having a hands-on role in the evolution of log hauling technology, Siletz Trucking continues to provide a major chunk of trucking capacity in northwest Oregon and today routinely moves 50+ million BF annually. “This company has been a stalwart in this industry and area for decades,” says Administrative Manager Kathryn Thomas, who went to work for Siletz Trucking as a teenager in 1980. “There are very few companies that have the same longevity and have experienced the changes we’ve seen from the offhighway operations to what we do now.” The company is the primary trucking contractor for Hancock Timber Resource Group’s western Oregon timberland operations, and also works with multiple smaller landowners, forest managers and loggers in the region. Among the millions of miles travelled, Siletz Trucking has also worked closely and helped with testing for tire, trucking management and digital log system vendors on new products and technology, such as composite tire materials and data logging systems. Siletz has its roots in the legendary and abandoned town of Valsetz, where Boise Cascade bought longtime independent Valstez Lumber Co. and its adjacent company town in 1959 and operated it until 1983, when the whole town site was removed—houses, street signs post office and all and the location eventually became part of Boise’s Valsetz Tree Farm. Siletz has seen immense changes in log hauling since founder Floyd Martin began operating in 1958 in a little shop in Valsetz, working for Boise Cascade and delivering logs to Valsetz Lumber. Hauling then was done on mostly unpaved roads in the Willamette basin and Coast Range. They still truck in these main areas, even on many of the same road systems now primarily owned and managed by Hancock. Martin and a partner he later bought out moved the main portion of the company to downtown Independence in 1962, then in the mid 1970s relocated to its current location on the north end of town. After successfully operating for 30 years, Martin found other business opportunities in 1988 and presented an option to employees to convert the business to ESOP ownership. At that time he hired Leon Fischer as General
cord time, and securing a promising future for the employee-owned company that currently has 44 full-time employees.
Operations
Kathryn Thomas
James McNeal
Manager and developed a management team with current key personnel to begin a new era began for the company. That team provided effective leadership throughout the ESOP process, paying off business loans in re-
When Timber Harvesting visited recently, Siletz was running 26 of its own rigs and supplementing hauling capacity with up to 40 subcontract haulers on any given day. The company’s primary customer is Hancock, which sells logs to mills anywhere from Longview, Wash. south to Glendale, Ore. Siletz also serves several independent area logging companies and still works with Boise, which retained some timberland in the region to help feed its sawmill at Willamina, Ore. “Ordinarily, we’ll have between 8-16 sides we’re hauling for at any given time,” says Operations Manager James McNeal. He adds that many of the loggers Siletz hauls for on Hancock timberland have an additional crew or two on other timberlands, and Siletz serves those crews as well. Hancock’s foresters and other personnel handle the logging side of timber harvesting contracts, and Siletz handles the trucking side of those contracts awarded to them through Hancock with a pre-negotiated haul rate. “If loggers have their own trucks we always use those first then work to find the best independents to further aid hauling when needed,” McNeal says, adding, “We’re always looking for the best truck and driver for the job.” Each month, Hancock provides a
Experienced log truck specialists handle maintenance and repairs, keeping the fleet rolling smoothly.
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Drivers’ resource area for keeping up with operations, paperwork
production schedule of upcoming jobs and what mills have or might be buying the timber. Closer to the start of each job, there is a pre-work meeting with Hancock and logger reps who discuss the overall site and work, how drivers will access landings with turnarounds or backing, and any issues with road conditions or routes. McNeal places signs and talks with local residents when needed to tell them about upcoming jobs and how long they might last. Though customers have favorites, there are no drivers who work exclusively with any contractor, since Siletz tries to ensure its in-house drivers can handle most any haul. It is McNeal’s job to schedule and dispatch all trucks and to coordinate what trucks go where for the best fit and most overall efficiency. or e ample newer trucks may do better on longer hauls since their engines are more efficient. One-way hauls to the mill vary greatly, roughly 12 to 140 miles. Average haul length is 48 miles, and average load weight is 27.20 tons. Load weights only vary by truck configuration and axle capacities. Thomas notes that most interstate miles allow up to the maximum hauling capacity of 105,500 lbs., while some county roads and most bridges are weight-restricted. “So if you are heavy hauling you need to plan your route accordingly, and get proper permits if variance is allowed,” she adds. While current hauling is all in Oregon, Siletz has hauled to Washington in the past and probably will do so again. The biggest impact with Interstate hauling is the reduction of allowable driving and on-duty hours when a rig crosses state lines, Thomas says. “In Oregon, our drivers can be on duty up to 16 hours per day, and 12 of 12
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Siletz Trucking runs a mix of its own rigs and those of contract haulers.
those hours can be driving,” she says. But once a truck falls under Interstate rules, on duty time is reduced to 14 hours per day, and driving time within that 14 hours cannot exceed 11 hours. o staying on Interstates gains us five driving hours per week, and 10 on duty hours per week, per driver,” Thomas says. Additionally, since Oregon has a weight-mile tax, the company has to track miles into Washington separately, and Interstate trucks are also sub ect to I T and fees.
ERoad Developments Several years ago, Siletz began working with oad a ew ealand-based company offering a truck tracking and weight-mile tax software package and looking to get into the . . market. ince then the system has morphed into an e-log system to satisfy new federal motor carrier digital record-keeping requirements, and the system is still evolving. The dash-mounted system features an interactive screen and keeps track of hours on duty, driving time, routes utilized, mileage on public and private roads, harsh braking, vehicle speed and more. “We can access any truck from the office can see where they are at any given time, send messages, track route times and look at efficiencies,” McNeal says. “We monitor drivers throughout the day, and then we can use that data to make comparisons and match driver speed to road conditions or speed limits if we want.” The system is superimposed on a map so that rigs can be tracked and efficiencies charted as driver performance and road and job conditions may change. New modules are also being developed such as a I sys-
tem that can also be tracked. Eventually dash cams will be offered, and Thomas says they’ll consider using them in the future but stresses they will have to be durable.
Record-keeping Even with all the new technology, drivers fill out a form each day that details where they picked up each load, where it was delivered, and mileage and time associated with each load. That information is then compared to the oad records to spot any discrepancies. These forms are keyed in at the office each day and consolidated and balanced twice a month against client records. “It’s part of our job to create a pool of data to compare to the report we get from Hancock (and any other customers) and make sure the load counts, weights, destinations and other load information match,” Thomas says. Also of value here is the Load Tracker system, which Siletz helped design years ago by providing user feedback and testing features for Office uipment o. when that firm was first developing some of the software. The system tracks mileage, time detail for each load, and calculates load income. It also connects to the payroll system and other modules. “We can augment all that with Excel spreadsheets,” Thomas says. “So any time we want to focus on a certain area that’s deficient or a discrepancy of some type, we can dump all the data into a spreadsheet and manipulate it to find answers. Driver record-keeping begins with federal pre-hire regulations—Oregon state authorities may have additional requirements—that include a drug screen and obtaining a current copy of
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his/her driving record. Information is checked against a National Driver Records (NDR) database related to CDL licensing. Thomas remembers when the CDL was initially going to be a national license program, but that never came to fruition. However, the requirement to check the NDR database system ensures that a driver does not possess more than one CDL, and enables Siletz to compare data to what a driver has reported. “It has helped to reduce the incidents of CDL carriers moving to a new state when their driving record becomes a hindrance to employability,” she says. New drivers also have to be cleared through Siletz’s insurance carrier. While carriers traditionally have focused on moving violations and incidents, there’s a trend toward looking at the overall driving record, including non-driving incidents—even parking tickets or driving without insurance that may re ect a risk-taking personality. Subcontract haulers who work with Siletz are also subject to requirements and related record-keeping, including
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providing proof of insurance and proof of workers’ comp coverage, as well as maintaining an adequate safety record. “They have to comply with several requirements before they can haul for us,” Thomas says, “That’s a part of the service we provide, not only tracking their hauling information, but also verifying their certifications and insurance.
Insurance Issues Log truck coverage has changed over the years like everything else. Perhaps the biggest impact is fewer options for coverage since many carriers no longer cover log trucks. Thomas notes fewer options also have the effect of reducing motor carrier leverage in insurance negotiations. Bad claim years can have a huge impact on overall business viability, Thomas says, noting good relations with insurers is key. “If the current insurer chooses to non-renew, it can be like being placed on a blacklist,” she adds. “No insurer wants to offer coverage to companies that have bad claims experience, and those that will are making sure the rates are high
enough to minimize their exposure.” Insurers also get involved in hiring and firing. The first thing you always must do is run the driver through your insurance company to verify not only that they will cover that driver, but at what cost,” Thomas says. Many times, the answer is “maybe,” she says. “The answer often is ‘Yes we will insure this driver, but it will cost you this much in additional premium to do so.’” Another issue today is that drivers are being rated based on every entry on their driving record, not just moving violations. So if a driver has infractions such as driving uninsured or failure to carry a driver’s license, that can be judged as irresponsible or risky behavior and is rated as such. Siletz has had its own insurance worries, especially following a rough three-year patch from 2012-15 that included several significant losses and the company’s first driver fatality in a single vehicle crash due to bad weather. “The impact upon our insurance rates was immense; we are still experiencing the aftermath in our rates today,” Thomas says. “But the last two
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years have been much better, and I expect us to overcome that impact by 2020.” Insurance is just a part of today’s hauling environment that includes more dangers than in the past. Thomas cites distracted drivers as a major concern. She also notes that the percentage of (all commercial, not just logging) drivers with very little experience is much higher than it used to be, thanks to driver shortages. For Siletz, many haul miles occur on highway 101 along the coast, which can become choked with tourists at times. More vehicles mean more opportunities for mishaps and larger damages if multiple vehicles are involved, Thomas says.
Safety Programs Working to address insurance issues, Siletz has an extensive safety program in place. A safety committee and accident review board meet once a month to go over any safety-related issues and bring ideas and feedback to management from drivers and shop personnel. Personal protective equip-
ment, including hardhats, all types of gloves, safety glasses, hearing protection and high visibility vests, is purchased and supplied to drivers free of charge. Thomas says the company makes a constant effort to promote safety. “We have played bingo for safety, had quarterly safety drawings, and given out safety rewards such as jackets, hats, mugs and other items,” she relates. Siletz also partners with other companies in the industry to share data on accidents and near-misses in order to learn from each other’s mistakes or oversights. The company is also a member of Associated Oregon Loggers (AOL), which promotes safety and awareness in logging and trucking. afety is also re ected in company programs and policies. “We have policies in place for cell phone use, seat belt use, drugs and alcohol, personal protective equipment, and hazard communication,” Thomas says. Training programs focus on main items: truck inspections, brake adjustments, tire chain placement/removal and wheel base/bridge weight distribution.
Drivers are also distributed manuals that cover many policies, including hours of service, proper loading and unloading procedures, safety procedures and load securement. Thomas notes that a moving violation that may get a driver fired would be reckless or careless driving, driving under the inuence or more than one serious violation in three years. “Of course, anything affecting the validity of their CDL or their insurability would have the same result,” she says.
Drivers Like all trucking companies, Siletz is looking for drivers. (The “Drivers Wanted” sign out front was bigger than the company sign when TH visited). The company had a few longtime 30year drivers who retired recently, and that lowered average seniority. Currently, about a third of drivers have less than two years with the company, a third has two-plus years, and a third has more than 10 years. “The edges we have are not only our trucks and expertise, but also some long term and very skilled drivers. We’ll put
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them up against any others anywhere,” McNeal says. Siletz maintains a driver training program that includes a mentoring phase where a new or younger driver is paired with a highly experienced and patient older driver who teaches driving skills and demonstrates the expectations and the professionalism level the company requires. “This type of peer-to-peer focused training can be extremely effective with younger drivers,” Thomas says. “We’ve seen it work really well.” The group includes two drivers fresh from trucking school, plus several experienced drivers who came from other states looking for more year-round work. In years past, log trucking suffered from a “backwoods” stereotype of poor professionalism, but that’s far from the case now,” Thomas says. In fact, the company is using the rural aspect of the job as a recruiting tool for drivers who may be tired of seeing nothing but Interstate truck stops and warehouses and would like to sleep at home every night. A Siletz driver reports in the morning, gets a crew assignment from dispatch, makes a pre-trip inspection and goes to work. Afterward, the driver does a post-
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trip inspection, refuels, and goes home. “We try to treat our drivers right, and all the maintenance and washing is done for them,” Thomas says, adding that the dispatcher makes sure all drivers have at least 10 hours off. Siletz drivers are paid by the hour, including all the time they spend on a load no matter the circumstances. For example if a driver is stuck in traffic has a truck break down, or waits at the mill for two hours, he still gets compensated for his time. Thomas notes Siletz has implemented a tiered-pay program that rewards drivers who have prior log hauling experience and those who have longevity with the company as well. “If a driver is willing to drive oversize configurations serve on the safety committee or become a trainer of new drivers, he is compensated more for that also,” she says.
Trucks, Shop Expertise Tractors are a mix of Western Star, Kenworth, Peterbilt, and Freightliner, and trailers are a mix of General, Peerless and Whit-Log. All trailers have
on-board scales, mostly Vulcan systems. Instead of buying new, the approach is to buy solid used equipment and let the company’s shop capacity and experienced mechanics keep rigs up to spec and rolling smoothly. Another option Siletz uses is to buy a heavy spec glider kit and add specific components. A typical build would be a estern tar glider kit outfitted with a Detroit Series 60 engine, two axles plus a drop axle, heavy duty Hendrickson HN new generation rubber pad suspension (TufTrac, HaulMaax, and Chalmers suspensions are also used) and heavy rear ends with double lockers, as well as a heavy-duty frame. Siletz stocks a complete inventory of parts, including engines, transmissions and rear ends. Siletz uses Phillips 76 engine oil. “The environment we work in seems to pair best with short-cycle oil changes, which would undermine the main benefit of synthetic oil use Thomas says. The company has never tried automatic transmissions. “With the type of off-road travel that our trucks do to get to the landing, automatic transmis-
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sions, as they are designed today, would not fare well,” Thomas says. Shop foreman Bobby Garrett has also been with the company since he was a teenager. He started out washing trucks on weekends and worked his way up. He and another day shift mechanic are both highly experienced log truck specialists. Two additional mechanics work the swing shift, and a tire/lube technician stays busy as well. “These guys are not only experienced, but specialized log truck mechanics,” McNeal says. “Everything is different in log trucking—much more heavyduty equipment and components.” The shop has a mobile service truck, and any of the mechanics may make a road call, depending on the situation. The shop crew does everything possible on a log truck involving repair, replacement or rebuilding. Engine block machining is about the only thing they don’t do. “We’ve done a lot of glider kits, tried a lot of different engines and suspensions,” McNeal says. e’ve figured out what does and does not work for us, considering the roads we haul on and the situations we’re in.” Mechanics work closely with drivers on any maintenance issues. Drivers note performance or maintenance issues on a post-trip inspection report; mechanics troubleshoot the problem, even do a short road test if needed. Once the mechanic has made the repair, both he and the driver sign off on it, and the action is entered into a database. The state of Oregon requires a paper copy of maintenance and repairs reports, and the company uses the data to help with inventory management and also to help identify trucks, trailers, parts and components that are wearing or otherwise not up to snuff for the ob. It really helps us to find out what works and what is most cost-effective,” McNeal says. Siletz runs mostly Bridgestone and Michelin tires, working with Firestone GCR Tire and Superior Tire in Salem. The company has also formed agreements with certain tire dealers and service centers throughout its operational area to store tires. That way, in case of a at or other tire issue ilet has its preferred tires nearby if needed and the store gets the service work. As many as nine locations are involved. The company has a longstanding relationship with Bridgestone as a tester, and last fall it was testing new-composition tires in two different tread designs, com-
paring them side-by-side. “They come to us with new materials and designs to see how they perform in the real world, what conditions they can withstand and how they wear,” McNeal says.
Future Looking ahead, there are no big plans in the works aside from continuing to provide quality service, maintaining professionalism, complying with regulations and grappling with
whatever the market and operating conditions might throw at the company. “We will continue to approach this business with common sense, adaptability and perseverance. That has served the company well for 60 years now,” Thomas says, quickly adding an afterthought: “We didn’t do anything for our 50th anniversary; maybe we need to plan something for our 60th.” To this writer and observer, that would be a great thing to do. TH
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Turning In A Better Direction Truck owners from around the country weigh in on how they tackle transportation.
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DAVIDAbbott
rucking has been called a necessary evil by many timber harvesting professionals, and that term may have never been more fitting than it is today. With its high costs, tightened regulatory conditions, driver constraints, time demands, and other issues, transportation continues to bedevil many owners of logging and log trucking businesses. Among the myriad complications associated with it, rising insurance costs and increased scrutiny of drivers continue to make it a hardship. Making all this worse are pay rates that many—perhaps a majority—contend are out of alignment with reality. While a relatively high number of companies still fail to comply with all the rules, and many lack formal training programs and safety policies or adequate documentation of maintenance/repair, there seems to be a
growing number who aspire to take trucking management to a higher level. Timber Harvesting reached out to multiple truck owners to find out what they are doing. In business since 2012, Oklahoma logger Chris Gibson, 31, has 15 trucks in his eet. The ma or problem with trucking these days is that insurance has gone up so much on new trucks, and new trucks have gone up a lot in price he points out. ogging rates haven’t gone up. We are still working for what we did 10 years ago.” Veteran Wisconsin logger Max Ericson resident of the reat akes Timber roducers ssn. echoes ibson’s comments The log truck industry is in pretty bad shape all the way around. For one thing, the mills keep cutting back, so we can’t haul enough wood. Expenses keep going up and the
price of wood is down.” Ericson Trucking runs trucks. Identifying possible solutions is a challenge all its own, but some are making headway. One is South Carolina’s og reek Timber o. a 0 crew, 40-truck organization owned by eg and Tim illiams and their sister artha anders. og reek has e panded in recent years and now employs more than 100, including a fulltime dispatcher. As well, it has developed and implemented eet management practices that include formal written policies and procedures, formal driver training and driver performance bonuses.
Drivers, Where Art Thou? According to C.K. Green, owner of irginia ustom Thinning the
Trucking opportunities and driver availability do not align for Maine’s Treeline, Inc., which owns 25 rigs. 18
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Mississippi’s Tim Mahan is a stickler for truck-trailer soundness and appearance.
scarcity of ualified drivers is at an all time high. I’m concerned like everybody else. I have 0 trucks of my own and two contractors and I need to find two more he reports. t aine’s Treeline Inc. owner and resident rian ouers reports there are plenty of trucking opportunities but not enough trucks to meet them. That is due largely to a shortage of drivers. river shortage is based on the fact that the pay scale isn’t high enough to attract enough drivers. Treeline is a diversified company with harvesting and chipping crews and road and bridge construction sides. It owns 2 trucks. In ichigan ene r o nowski owner of log trucking company r o nowski and ons says his services are in high demand in that there is plenty of work available and a shortage of trucks a good thing for him. e runs trucks and admits his biggest problem is finding ualified drivers. The benefits are better at obs in other industries he says adding There isn’t enough money to get benefits like health care. ow do you afford health care in this business isconsin trucker cott choeneck laughs when asked about finding ualified and dependable drivers. is cott choeneck Trucking hauls primarily for his brother’s harvesting company. e says it is all but impossible to find good drivers and like ours cites a profit margin too slim to pay drivers enough to attract them. Typical driver pay in his area is $ 20 an hour depending on e perience. e counts himself lucky to have found a near perfect employee with whom he splits double shifts on his only truck. uys like him usually run their own companies but he doesn’t want to choeneck says. everal companies have been forced to park trucks for lack of drivers. t one
time oel lson Trucking based in ancouver ash. ran 0 rigs now it runs only . wner oel lson says ou can’t get drivers anymore and the reason is you can’t afford to pay them. f the 2 trucks in his eet he has 0 parked and he’s sold si . ikewise irginia’s asburg Timber orp. has downsi ed its trucking eet in recent years for the same reason. ccording to ennie arsanti at aine’s . . c ucas Trucking ogging hipping and irewood turnover at that company isn’t terribly high but it is getting increasingly difficult to find drivers. They ust don’t want to deal with it she e plains. The company has 20 trucks. ike ermann operations manager for the trucking and biomass divisions at ermann ros. ogging onstruction in ort ngeles ash. states It is always hard to find good people but we are pretty successful at it. The company has 0 trucks hauling various wood products. ou have to do it one of two ways ibson believes. ither find someone who is young who needs a ob and that you can train or find somebody who has been doing it all their life and who ust doesn’t want to do anything else. uys who are in between can go work in the oil fields and make more money.
Insurance, Training oney and benefits are probably the biggest constraints to attracting drivers but other issues include tainted driving records among potential hires and their inability to pass a drug test. hen these are not issues another common impediment is lack of e perience. In many cases insurance companies re uire drivers to be 2 years of age and have two to three years’ e perience. This begs the ues-
tion ow are young drivers to attain such e perience This a more prescient concern as older drivers retire and they are retiring at a brisk clip. ven so many truck owners have found creative ways to get through this. uch of it begins with a formal training program. labama’s id tar Timber fields up to eight crews and runs 2 log trucks not to mention another five over the road rigs under the name id tar press . wner itchell resley says s far as being able to hire younger drivers we let the insurance company look at our training program. They have allowed us to bring some younger drivers on because of that. The e perience level of three years is lowered as long as we do the training. e continues e have been in the business long enough that we’ve had drivers retire and we’ve brought them back on board as trainers to ride with new drivers. ther companies have implemented similar programs. t ermann ros. new drivers can be in training for up to three months depending on their individual skill level. isballe orest roducts in ichigan reports that drivers who also have to operate self loaders as is common in the ake tates sometimes train for as long as si months. Treeline’s apprenticeship program usually lasts from si months to a year. ours says It is learning on the ob but at a very moderated pace. eyond training some use other methods to help with insurance costs. artners tephen right and rank yers at asburg Timber orp. implemented a driver rewards program in 20 and report it has improved the company’s insurance score compliance safety accountability . The better your score the less likely T is to stop you and it helps on insurance yers says. The program in-
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volves bonuses for clean DOT reports with no violations, and it rewards both individuals and the team as a group. “We reward them as a group so the group helps police itself. Team members hold each other accountable.”
Driver Retention Finding, hiring, training and insuring a dependable, quality driver is a big investment of time and money, and defense attorneys encourage it, citing statistics that show all too many accidents involve log trucks whose drivers have very limited experience. Although Gasburg Timber has en-
joyed loyalty from many good drivers, Myers admits, “It is hard to compete when our rates are just too low compared to the rest of the trucking industry. You have to be creative, hope you have the right ones and hope they stick with you.” Turnover may be inevitable, but many have found ways to limit it. One obvious key: competitive pay. Mid Star’s Presley believes, “Paying more money gets you a better driver.” Green agrees. He says he pays drivers what amounts to 33% of truck revenue. He also pays more for Saturday work. In addition, drivers who have been with Green more than 90 days get $100 a
month towards health insurance and become eligible for a simple IRA plan. Similarly, others, including R.C. McLucas, Log Creek and Treeline, offer benefits like 0 k and health insurance. Tim Mayhan, who operates as Southern Forestry, Inc. in north Mississippi, says his drivers remain loyal for the most part. “I just don’t have a big driver turnover. These boys make $ 0 to thousand a year instead of $2 thousand like I hear other drivers make, and they are driving late model trucks and trailers.” He also sets up a Christmas club account for them so that they get a large bonus just before the holidays. This is equivalent to an
Case Study: One Unusual Example
Good pay, good equipment and great benefits are said to give Bellwether Forest Products a hiring advantage.
Jim McGee is the trucking and logistics manager for Bellwether Forest Products, Columbia, SC. Prior to taking on this role 18 months ago, McGee had no previous experience in the forest products industry, only with over-the-road trucking. Because of his background and the unusual nature of the company, McGee’s experience provides interesting insight from which other companies can perhaps benefit. Bellwether had been running two crews until two years ago, when a large investment company from Indiana purchased its harvesting and hauling operations. “I was one of the first new people they hired c ee says. They told me it was small, so there wouldn’t be much for me to do at first but they planned to double and triple it. True to the plan, Bellwether has expanded to six crews and now employs 2 drivers. c ee has plenty to do now. Hiring is a challenge, he grants. “It is true to a point that it is hard to find drivers and I couldn’t be as successful if not for the large investment behind us that says, let’s get a solid pay structure with benefits insurance 0 k and paid holidays, which is sort of unheard of in this area.” That, coupled with Bellwether’s reputation as a well-run business, helps attract the best available drivers, McGee asserts. “Word got out that something interesting was hap20
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pening here. That gave me an advantage with hiring. So we don’t have as much challenge as some in finding drivers. We can be choosy.” Insurance companies, he points out, appreciate the fact that Bellwether has a dedicated person whose sole job it is to oversee trucking, instead of an owner whose focus is spread thin with buying wood and managing harvesting crews as well as drivers. “They like that one person is in charge of nothing but driver issues. It helps get us a pretty decent insurance rate, because they know we’re running everything by the book with drug tests and checking s otor ehicle eports and drivers’ backgrounds. Insurance companies are also pleased with Bellwether’s safety program, which includes dash cams in all trucks and a handbook that formally spells out policies and guidelines ranging from no texting while driving, mandatory seat belt use and no speeding. e says one of the first priorities when he started was to develop a “real safety program.” Drivers know there are consequences, including termination, if they don’t follow the rules. Penalties are spelled out in the handbook. To capture efficiencies within the limitations of forest products hauling c ee says e ibility is essential as much as possible. “Mill is a dirty word everybody uses, but in general they are the variable we can’t control, so let’s keep options open,” McGee elaborates. “Let’s focus on the variables we can control. We can control how many drivers we want on each crew. If one crew isn’t working, those drivers can be used to stay productive on another crew.” Woods crews and equipment can also be reallocated from inactive jobs so that overall production is impacted less. “Drivers understand they may go from crew-to-crew, moving to where production can be had. It’s not to confuse them but to take advantage of what mills are accepting wood and what tracts wood comes out of the fastest.” In the rare cases in which Bellwether drivers have been involved in accidents, so far the truck drivers have not been at fault, and the Lytx DriveCam devices proved as much. “We have good buy-in with the drivers,” McGee says of the GPS/inside-outside camera devices. “They see how it benefits them. It is big with police and insurance to TH get to the bottom of what happened.” TIMBER HARVESTING & WOOD FIBER OPERATIONS
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extra week’s pay, he points out. Still, not all companies can afford such extras. Brzoznowski shrugs, “There is nothing really you can do to keep them except try to pay them a little more but the profit margin isn’t that great. I have fairly new equipment, so hopefully that entices them.” Many believe this enticement works. “A new truck/trailer gets more attention from drivers,” Gibson says. “If you can put them in a new truck where they can run and not be broke down as often, it’s a selling point for a driver hire.”
Safety Emphasis Souers stresses safety to his drivers. “I tell them they are the professional drivers, and every vehicle they pass that’s not commercial is driven by an amateur. Our job is to protect the amateurs. Our culture thinks it can protect them by passing different laws and regulations, but all it does is make our ob more difficult. e have to work very hard to keep the roads safe and we do that. When you do the numbers,
commercial drivers are the safest out there. Not many amateurs can go millions of miles accident-free, but many commercials drivers do.” Mayhan is big on keeping trucks and trailers in good repair. “One thing I don’t mess around with are issues with our road equipment. I think it is extremely important to keep maintenance done on trucks and trailers. It’s more important than the stuff in the woods. If you a blow a tire on a skidder, it’s not as likely to get someone killed. ➤ 39
GPS/Dash Cams New technologies change the way people do business in every industry, and log trucking is no exception. Mid Star recently began installing GPS and hired a dispatcher. “We decided to investigate what potential it might hold for us to more efficiently utili e our eet. resley says. ogging cannot support transportation anymore; transportation has to stand on its own. So we decided to look hard at managing trucking the same way we manage logging.” og reek has used leetmatics GPS for about a year and a half and Gibson has used the technology (NexTraq) for quite a while. Treeline uses GPS, dash cams and electronic log books (Keep Truckin’ e-log device) since its trucks regularly haul more than 100 air miles and occasionally cross state lines. Olson also has GPS, dash cams and e-log. It was a big expense, he concedes, but one he believes is well worthwhile. “It makes drivers a little more conscious of what they’re doing, if nothing else, and it helps with insurance definitely. asburg Timber uses GPS but has not yet incorporated dash cams, but Myers says it may be on the horizon. At Hermann Bros. dash cams are voluntary for drivers who want them, but GPS is on every truck. “We wouldn’t be without them,” Mike Hermann says. “Dash cams are helpful in accidents. We had a near miss recently and it was on the dash cam showing our driver was not at fault.” Mahan believes GPS is a big help. “Insurance does look at it; they are impressed with it; and I think it has helped because my insurance did come down this time, believe it or not,” he says. Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers
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First Class Reputation
Forest Family Series
New York’s Johnson family has always taken care of the woods.
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JAYDonnell
ith a population of just more than 500, Red Creek, NY isn’t exactly the booming metropolis you think of when you picture the state of New York. The town is located about 45 minutes west of Syracuse and is surrounded by forests.
Whitetail deer hunting is one of Red Creek’s main attractions and many loggers populate the small corner of Wayne County. The town was originally called Jacksonville after Andrew Jackson when it was settled in 1811 and later it was
The Johnson family, from left: Dustin with daughter Charlotte, son Sawyer and wife Bridgit; and Tina, Tom, Trevor and Kara
Another nice load of maple heads for the Tim Cretin Sawmill. 22
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changed to Red Creek for the namesake creek that flows through its entirety. While many believe New York State to be one large cityscape, over half of the Empire State is forested. Most of the woodlots are privately owned and generally pretty small, which means loggers must be perfectionists when it comes to select harvesting. One of those perfectionists is Tom Johnson, who has preached the importance of being a good steward of the forest to his son Trevor and nephew Dustin ever since they went to the woods with him for the first time when they were teens. For the Johnsons, improving woodlots is just as important as harvesting the timber. They have carried on a family tradition that dates back to 1939 when Tom’s grandfather, Howard, started logging and then brought in his son-inlaw Loren Nodine to help him. The two formed Johnson & Nodine Logging and then Howard’s son Eddie (Tom’s father) joined the partnership in the early 1960s. Tom joined the team in 1982 and for many years it was just Tom and his father Eddie working together until Eddie died in 2003 after a long battle with cancer. The strong business practices of Eddie and Tom did not go unrecognized. In 1990, their business was named Logger of the Year by New York Timber Producers Assn. This was in large part due to their ability to leave a healthier, more vibrant looking tract when they completed their work. Company policy that dates back to Eddie’s days with the business dictates that all slash is pushed back into the woods no matter what. It’s this kind of attention to detail that has helped the business, now known as Johnson Forest Management, build and maintain a first class reputation with private landowners. Repeat business is the name
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of the game for the Johnsons and their focus on improving woodlots is the reason why.
Current Setup Tom, 55, has watched Trevor, 24, and Dustin, 30 (both college graduates), grow over the years and they each now own 25% of the business. He makes sure to remember the things his father taught him when he was first starting out so that the two “boys” learn how to be good stewards in order to keep their sterling reputation intact. During the summers they work as one crew, but during the winters they split up into two crews and bring on an extra man to help out because that’s their most productive time of the year. Ninety-nine percent of the company’s business is select or thinning harvests on tracts that average 25 acres and they’re usually working on flat and sometimes swampy terrain. Once in a while the Johnsons work on the side of a hill. Production by species is 40% hard maple, 25% soft maple, 20% ash and the remainder in walnut, cherry and other species. New York State is pretty tight with its timber and the Johnsons have never worked on federal land so almost all the tracts they work on are privately owned. Tracts are found through word of mouth and repeat business. “At this point we have somewhere around two and a half years work ahead of us,” Tom says. “Most people know our reputation so they’re willing to wait for us.” Tom, Trevor and Dustin buy timber with the help of foresters Sue and Mark Kiester, a husband and wife team that has worked with the Johnsons for decades. Mark is a retired state forester while Sue ran her own business for years. Once Mark retired from the state the couple went into business together. “Without family businesses like the Johnsons and quality logging there’s no silviculture that can occur,” Sue says emphatically. “These guys are the key to the perpetuation and stewardship of resources in New York and we’re lucky to have them.” The Johnsons average roughly 10 loads a week (40,000 feet of sawtimber) plus a load or two of low grade wood. A main market is Tim Cretin Sawmill, a fourth generation mill in Lyons that both Tom’s father and grandfather did business with dating
Old but dependable, this 1999 John Deere crawler at times serves as a skidder.
back to the mid 1900s. Johnson also hauls sawlogs to nearby Westbury Lumber.
Iron Lineup A 1999 450 John Deere dozer dresses landings and maintains the roads that are usually already in place for the Johnsons when they arrive on a tract. Two John Deere 540G-III skidders (2004 and 2012) move logs to the landing and a Prentice 180 loader feeds a 2015 International truck. A Timberjack forwarder and a Cat D3LGP are used when the men find themselves in swampy terrain. Goodyear tires are preferred on the equipment. Up until recently, Stihl chain saws were primarily used to cut timber, but the Johnsons bought their first feller-buncher last October in order to further mechanize the business and make the work safer. The machine is a 2017 TN725C TimberPro fitted with a TBS-32 bar saw and purchased from CJ Logging Equipment in Boonville. “With the TimberPro we’re now able to cut when it’s windy and rainy,” Tom says. “It also allows us to work more safely; plus the machine was designed at the right size for us.” The buncher requires a lot of special care and Trevor and Dustin are still feeling out the machine and learning how to utilize it in the best way. They understand that a new feller-buncher requires a different kind of maintenance than what they’re used to, so things like greasing and filter changes must be done carefully. Oil is changed every 200 hours. The cousins (who are more like brothers) are excited about the TimberPro, but Tom worries about equip-
ment getting bigger and bigger. “We like to keep it small and do as little damage to the residual stand as possible,” he says. “I don’t know if there are many of these TimberPros in the area, but it’s just a couple inches wider than our skidders, which is what I like about it.” Tom’s cousin, Jim, has been driving the log truck for the past five years. Haul distances are generally about 20 miles and contract trucking is used on occasion. DOT isn’t much of a problem for the Johnsons as they keep their rig “spit polished,” according to Tom. Tom, Dustin and Trevor arrive on site at 7:30 a.m. and usually work until around 4 p.m., although this can change depending on production, weather and a host of other factors. They take off all major holidays in order to keep their families happy. Tom and Dustin do most of the bookkeeping while Tom’s wife, Tina, helps out occasionally. Tom reports that his after tax business profit has been on par with his investment. He estimates that he’s invested more than $1.3 million in the company. The Johnsons rely on W.J. Cox Associates for insurance needs.
Lasting Legacy One creeping problem the Johnsons aren’t looking forward to is the invasion of the emerald ash borer, a jewel beetle that is native to northeastern Asia and feeds on ash species. The bug started off in the Chicago area in the early 2000s and is now moving across New York State. “We haven’t seen it first hand in the woods we’re cutting, but we went 25 miles west of here and looked in the ash and ➤ 26
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The TimberPro f-b helps make felling safer and less susceptible to wind, rain and snow.
23 ➤ you can tell a difference,” Tom says. “There’s going to be a huge change to the industry when we lose all the ash because 25% of the trees in our county are ash.” Local governments in the Northeast are attempting to control it by monitoring its spread, diversifying tree species, and using insecticides and biological methods.
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Aside from the bug issue, Tom likes the future of the business with Dustin and Trevor as partners. The Johnson legacy is a long one in Wayne County and he would like to see it continue for many years. Tom’s father, Eddie, has a scholarship at one of the local schools in honor of his name called the Eddie Johnson Memorial Scholarship. The Johnsons also donate to
local food charities as well as the “Toys for Tots” program that revs up around Christmas. Johnson Forest Management is a member of the Empire State Forest Assn, New York Timber Producers and the Federation of Independent Business. Tom was the vice president of New York State Timber Producers for many years. Tom admits that he did have some thoughts about getting out of logging several years ago. “Before these boys came along I was interested in getting out, but they gave me a new lease on life,” he says. “I want to see the logging business treat them as well as it’s treated me because there’s nothing better than getting up in the morning and dropping a hard maple or cherry.” Long before it was fashionable, the Johnson family committed to being good stewards in the forests, and this is a primary reason for their success. There’s no doubt that Howard and Eddie Johnson are keeping a watchful eye on Tom, Dustin and Trevor as they continue to carry on the family tradition. TH
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OLC: Equipment, Information, Outreach
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eathering a pre-dawn snowfall on its opening day, the 80th Oregon Logging Conference held at Lane Events Center and Fairgrounds February 22–24 in Eugene, Ore. drew more than 6,000 industry professionals from 37 states as well as Australia, Canada, Finland, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, and Sweden. Those who made the trip enjoyed state-of-the-art logging equipment, informational seminars and workshops and social networking opportunities. “The weather was somewhat of a challenge, but did not deter from a successful outcome,” said OLC Manager Rikki Wellman. And while the weather forced cancellation of elementary schoolchildren show tours on day one, on day two the OLC held its first, and successful, Future Forestry Workers Career Day. Sponsored by the Oregon Logging Conference Foundation (OLCF), the career day included more than 400 students from approximately 20 high schools who attended to learn about 28
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current and future job opportunities in the logging industry and the skills required for each job. The students also were able to get up close to logging equipment, visiting one-on-one with industry professionals, and hearing from those in the industry. The OLCF also held auctions during the show and raised more than $20,000 to support college scholarships for up and coming industry participants. The event also featured multiple seminar sessions covering new technology from vendors, and other sessions covering operations and regulations by industry experts. Topics ranged from state forest regulations to steep slope logging developments, commercial thinning, salvage logging, wildlife habitat rules and much more. During his message, 2018 OLC President Rick Kriege, owner of Kriege Logging in Prineville, Ore., addressed this year’s OLS show theme: 80 Years Evergreen and Growing. “We plant and grow more trees than ever in today’s practices, and we have adopted policies that protect our
future to stay evergreen,” he said. But for industry to grow, “We must reach out to today’s young people, let them know we have good paying jobs with or without a college education. And if you like hard work we have a job for you!” Continuing his dominance of two in a row and three of the last four, Green Diamond Resource Co. employee Bryan Chipps was the fastest competitor in the 9th annual OLC Log Loader Competition. Chipps has also placed first in 2017 and 2015, and in 2016 he tied for second place. This year second place went to Zane Bryant, Bryant Logging Co., Beaver Creek, Ore., while Layne Walker, a shovel operator from Eugene, took third place. Another loader operator, Aaron Wainman of Scio, Ore., had the only entry in the popular “Guess The Load” contest that hit the number right on the nose: 6,550 board feet. He was awarded a Cabela’s gift card in the constest, which was sponsored by Swanson Bros Lumber and Leonard Maser Trucking. TH
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Falcon Forestry Equipment winch-assist conversion on Komatsu PC 350 LC carrier Waratah 625C harvester/ processor
LogMax 10000XT XTreme Series Doosan DX300LL with LogMax 10000XT Extreme Series processor
Vulcan hinge-based dump truck measuring system
Deere 848L skidder Oregon SpeedMax XL cutting system
Olofsfor’s Iggesund Forest Blue Line harvester bars
Komatsu XT460L-3 feller buncher with Quadco sawhead
Caterpillar 548 LL Forest Machine
TimberPro TL 755C f-b with Quadco sawhead
Tigercat 1185 harvester with Tigercat 570 harvesting head
Ecoforst T-Winch 10.1 T-Mar Industries 98 in. Extreme Duty Yarding Grapple
Ponsse Scorpion King harvester Rotobec’s Oregon State vs. University of Oregon grapples
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SCTPA Meeting Focused On Trucking Issues DK KNIGHT Transportation challenges and suggestions to help get them under control were the focus of the annual meeting of the South Carolina Timber Producers Assn. (SCTPA) held in Myrtle Beach, SC February 9-11. Attended by 400-plus, the event followed the semi-annual meeting of T afe Trucking a non profit that recently rolled out its first free training module for drivers. (Visit teamsafe trucking.com). About 45 attended that meeting, held at the same hotel.
tor of Transportation within the BC National Forest Safety Council. In response to rising deaths among truck drivers and timber fallers, and fearful that its social license to practice forestry might be in jeopardy if it did nothing to turn this around, all stakeholders—log truckers, loggers and mills—united to establish standards for both log hauling and felling, according to Meierhofer. He said an ongoing pilot program being conducted through a Truck Ad-
involved the same few legal firms. “Trial lawyers understand your business,” he said, “sometimes better than you do.” But he also said plaintiff’s lawyers are getting better at defending clients in lawsuits. “They are from smaller firms and have time to better prepare; they’re smart, work hard are tech savvy; are more knowledgeable; and they swing for the fence.” He advised truck owners to: 1) be diligent and thorough in hiring drivers
Common Sense In his SCTPA presentation on Log Truck Owner’s Responsibilities, Jimmie Locklear, Business Development Manager for Forestry Mutual Ins. Co. and a TEAM Safe Trucking organizer, appealed for log truck owners to use common sense in their trucking approach. He exhorted owners to thoroughly vet drivers before hiring, pointing out that it’s better to keep a truck parked than to put a risky driver in the seat. “Don’t take their claimed experience or driving record for granted. Get in that truck with that driver and assess his skills. Make sure he understands the dynamics of the load. Monitor your drivers and know what they’re doing behind the wheel.” Locklear showed the image of an Alabama driver’s weight ticket he had found on Facebook. The driver had boasted of delivering a load that weighed 110,000 lbs.—22 tons over the legal limit. He told of a wellknown North Carolina logger’s situation after he installed GPS in his trucks: “He had to make some changes among drivers he thought were topshelf.” Locklear appealed with owners to clamp down hard on drivers guilty of DWD—driving while distracted— and concluded: “The way we haul logs has changed, but has the way we hired drivers changed?”
BC Benchmarks Efforts to drive down truck accidents and related deaths in British Columbia, Canada in recent years were detailed by Dustin Meierhofer, Direc30
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Jimmie Locklear, foreground, makes a point while fellow guest speaker Dustin Meierhofer, left, and SCTPA Chairman Bo Bo Seckinger look on.
visory Group for BC’s 3,000 log truck drivers involves systematic training, use of telematics (GPS, cameras), electronic on-board scales, and fatigue detectors. According to Meierhofer, the program is forcing accountability, is restoring professionalism and confidence to the levels seen in the late 1990s, and is helping establish a new and improved culture. It has helped to reduce severe accidents by 50%, lower fatalities by 75%, elevate legal weight compliance to 80%, and attract drivers, he said.
Legal Perspectives South Carolina attorney Rob Moseley, widely known as an advisor to trucking companies and for defending trucking firms and insurance companies cited several large jury verdicts across the country since 2011, noting several
and to document related findings 2 make drivers follow company policies; 3) invest in dash cameras; 4) adjust and adapt regarding federal regulations; 5) work on keeping the most experienced drivers; 6) not let contractors pull trailers they don’t own; and 7) be aware of drug and alcohol use among drivers.
Industry Overview In a luncheon address titled Constant Changes, Constant Challenges, DK Knight, Co-Publisher and Executive Editor for Hatton-Brown Publishers, presented a broad overview of the U.S. forest products industry and focused on the South’s prominent role, then addressed logging and trucking. Even though U.S. pulp and paper fiber demand continues to shrink nationally, it remains strong in South
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SCTPA CEO Crad Jaynes, right, with Collins Activist Award honoree Bob Lussier Greg Hudson, right, and Sharon Smith, left, with Swamp Fox Agency Leadand wife Cindy, who operate Great Woods Companies, Bennettsville, SC ership Award winner Jimmy Smith
Carolina and the South as a whole, and who complete a dedicated log truck embracing systematic driver training. and pellet plant fiber intake condriver school in south eorgia and the It means using more assets such as tinue to increase he said. night noted potential to receive annual dividends. dash cams fatigue detectors on the capital investment impact of anaboard scales re ective tape ashing dian companies that collectively now lights grill guards and so on. Awards Presentations own outhern softwood sawmills It means shifting to a much higher and pointed to the robust demand and The T presented its agship degree of overall eet management outlook for outhern softwood lumhonor the ene ollins ogger ctivdesigned to drive down mishaps and ber. ut he also indicated that record ist ward to ob ussier and reat reduce insurance claims. emember lumber output will mean record chip oods ompanies . ocated in nobody looks after your business like output potentially dampening roundennettsville ussier deploys two you look after your business. wood demand at mills of many types crews. is business was previously segoing forward. lected as the outh arolina 20 utInsurance, More night said the trend of fewer but standing ogger of the ear by the larger and higher performing logging ick uagliaroli highlighted a capstate forestry association. In a comand wood supply organi ations contintive commercial auto insurance propanion T business meeting usues to grow and could become the ingram now available to outh arolina sier was elected as a board member of dustry’s dominant supplier model. e and eorgia loggers through a new inthe group. said studies show that the most sucsured owned company orestry Insurther recognitions cessful loggers are those who conance o. of the outheast. e said the orestry utual Insurance o. honstantly challenge the process tweakcompany is designed for clients who ored ennis arner ogging with its ing efficiency building their teams demonstrate they are proactive in eet . . itman afety ward. improving working conditions and management and who otherwise think wamp o gency selected immy of and treat trucking as a serious busimith ogging o. for its Timber Instrengthening margins. ccording to ness. ccording to him benefits industry eadership ward. him logging e uipment will continue clude competitive rates access to opT ’s aynes cited former chairto become more sophisticated among erational guidance access to those man board member illy c inney other things helping to level operator for his years of loyal service performance in the same maand singled out former state chines in the same conditions. forester ene odama for his n trucking he said I’m not sure trucking can many years of passionate service in that capacity and for be turned around any time his support of loggers and the soon given the overabunT . dance of hungry legal hounds and a society bent on blaming aynes presented the the other guy. till it makes group’s resident’s ward to night o ublisher and good sense for truck owners to step up and do all they can ecutive ditor for atto operate by the book and ton rown ublishers. e not give trial lawyers a weak also gave special recognition spot to e ploit. to eremy onder a special This involves a mindset needs young man who has fallen in love with logging shift from reactive to proacand its heavy e uipment. tive. It means developing and The meeting drew some 0 implementing in depth driver Forestry Mutual’s Philip Sligh, second from right, presented SC Logger of the Year Award to the Varner family, from left: Tyler, Dennis, Phillip and Austin. sponsors and or e hibitors. TH policies and procedures and 32
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RiskWatch
Let’s Act Now To Solve Trucking Problems JIMMIE LOCKLEAR After two years of traveling across the country attempting to create a heightened awareness of the difficulties facing the forest industry’s log-chip transportation segment, one thing has become very clear: lots of people still don’t get it. Several years ago, I was a logger and small eet owner facing some of the challenges log truck owners face today, and I didn’t get it either. I have compassion for loggers and log truckers and am always willing to take time to hear their concerns. Unfortunately, compassion is not a solution. It’s going to take “straight talk” and corrective action by the entire forest products industry to bring about real improvement in terms of safety, compliance profitability and sustainability.
grams and overall weak compliance with regulations by many log truck owners. If these issues are not addressed in a meaningful way, I can assure you insurance premiums will continue to increase rapidly and could threaten wood fiber ow. The problem is much more severe in Southeast, and those doing business there must act immediately. Transportation problems vary from region to region and from state to state, as do possible solutions. In the upper Midwest, The Michigan Assn, of Timbermen works closely with the Michigan Center for Truck Safety, a non profit funded through a grant to the Michigan Trucking Association Education Center. Tom Buckingham,
tion. Let’s face the fact that there is a cost to doing things the right way. This reminds me of the slogan, “if you think safety is costly, try accidents.” I know to some these requirements seem trivial and pointless, but I can cite several crashes and fatalities that would have been prevented if simple measures had been taken. Some log truck owners contend “we can’t do all that…we can barely make it work now,” and/or “I don’t have the time or I can’t afford to miss a load of wood.” I fully understand how they feel, but complaining will not help move wood fiber safely and efficiently to the mill. My focus has shifted from muchneeded driver training to the more im-
Numbers, Facts Let’s face it, numbers don’t lie and facts do matter. The fact is many insurance companies failed to properly underwrite log truck risk over the last 20 years. remiums where artificially low largely due to aggressive competition among insurance carriers, and that benefitted loggers and log truckers. remiums dropped significantly almost every year at renewal for many. At the same time, claims costs were rising drastically. Increases in trucktrailer values, medical treatment-compensation costs and legal action settlements far overshot expectations. This “shocked” commercial truck insurance carriers, resulting in six continuous years of losses. Many of you may remember the oil filters commercial slogan of years ago: “You can pay me now, or pay me later.” Well, we are now in the “pay me later” period. The wood supply chain struggles with various issues, but none are more important than the transportation of raw forest products to mills. Most log, chip and wood fuel consumers evidently continue to receive all they need. I understand the dynamics of supply and demand, but I don’t understand the overall lack of foresight and action by these consumers. The forest industry must begin addressing the issues ualified driver shortage, lack of driver training pro34
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Log haulers/consumers must embrace programs designed to prevent scenes like this.
General Manager of the Forest Insurance Center, helps coordinate driver training classes in Michigan and Wisconsin. He states these programs have helped reduce log truck crashes. In the northeast, the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine began a driver training program as part of its pring afety Training five years ago. Dana Doran, Executive Director of the is confident this program has benefited the transportation segment in many ways, including better relations between drivers and state/federal transportation officials.
Incentivizing Owners I am encouraged by these programs and initiatives, but they are few and far between. The forest industry as a whole must address these issues in a serious consistent way. I firmly believe that incentivizing loggers and truckers who do all the right things would be a big step in the right direc-
portant issue of training owners. We must do both, and NOW! Getting owners to do the right thing in driver selection and hiring is critical. The industry and our livelihoods are at great risk due to the shortage of drivers and the rising cost of insurance. Are you proactive or reactive to changes occurring in the trucking area? If you have to give that question much thought, I recommend that you oin and financially support TEAM Safe Trucking. Visit teamsafetrucking.com. No matter where your company falls in the wood supply chain, your business will be impacted, so ACT NOW! I strongly suggest that truck owner education and truck driver training programs become mandatory as part of all professional logger programs around the country. So far, there has been a lot of talk but not much action. Solution-oriented initiatives must speed up for the TH good of the entire industry! Locklear is affiliated with Forestry Mutual Ins. Co., Raleigh, NC.
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EquipmentWorld ● Stevens Products LTD – New Zealand Morbark dealers are reviewed and scored annually on their customer service, business plan, equipment and parts sales, service and warranty process, marketing efforts, and much more. For industrial, both James River Equipment and Tidewater Equipment were honored with Gold Tier status for the fifth straight year while . . Whitford earned its second straight Gold dealer award and Columbus uipment was honored for the first time.
Bandit is in the middle of a $1.4 million facilities expansion.
Bandit Industries Has Two Expansions In Works Bandit Industries, Isabella County, Mich., has announced two major building additions to expand production capacity and add a state-of-the-art parts and service facility. Bandit is investing $1.4 million in the two expansions. Both are expected to come online in 2018. This is the second round of expansion in as many years. “We added manufacturing space 18 months ago and revamped our assembly lines in anticipation of the increased demand,” says Bandit President Jerry Morey. “We continue to invest in our future, not only in facilities and gear, but in our workforce, including training. We added 38 people in 2017 and plan to add another 50 employees in 2018.” The new parts facility will also house a central receiving and distribution area improving the ow of parts and materials to the six major manufacturing facilities. This will free up extra manufacturing space to further increase Bandit’s production capacity. “As our dealer network expands, the need for parts expands right along with it,” says Parts Manager Jamie Morey. “This new facility will allow us to respond rapidly to our dealers’ and customers’ parts requests, limiting their downtime and delivering on the promise that we stand behind every Bandit machine sold.” The parts and service expansion is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2018. As soon as that facility is completed, the second expansion will start that will add production space for new products Bandit intends to intro36
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duce in the third quarter of 2018. Bandit added three-quarters of a million dollars of new cutting and steel processing equipment in 2017 to keep up with the demand for parts for its expanding production areas. Bandit also introduced a number of new products in 2017 including an entry level stump grinder, several models of hand fed chippers, a large capacity self-propelled whole tree chipper, as intermediate model horizontal grinder, a forestry mower carrier with mowing and stump grinding capabilities.
Morbark Names Top Equipment Dealers
Morbark, LLC recognizd eight of its top equipment dealers—four in Industrial Products and four in Tree Care— with Gold Tier status for 2018, based on their performance during the previous year. Industrial Products: ● Columbus Equipment – Ohio, western West Virginia, Kentucky and Indiana ● James River Equipment – Virginia, eastern West Virginia and North Carolina ● L.C. Whitford Equipment – western New York and western Pennsylvania ● Tidewater Equipment – South Carolina, Georgia and Florida Tree Care Products: ● Alexander Equipment – northern Illinois ● Bobcat of Buffalo – western New York ● Schmidt Equipment – Massachusetts and Rhode Island
Komatsu Acquires Quadco, Southstar
Komatsu Ltd. is acquiring the Quadco and Southstar forestry attachment operations from Prenbec Equipment Inc. of Quebec, Can. The deal does not include the forestry equipment businesses of Tanguay and Forespro delimbers. The acquisition is being made through a wholly owned subsidiary of Komatsu in the U.S. Komatsu is adding the Quadco felling heads and Southstar large harvester heads to Komatsu’s existing lines of Log Max and Komatsu small and medium-sized harvester heads. Quadco and Southstar will continue to operate as independent companies within the Komatsu group and will maintain their existing sales networks. In order to offer improved value to customers, a forestry attachment division within Komatsu Forest AB will be formed, which will manage the Quadco, Southstar and Log Max brands.
Grand Opening Event Will Include Demo
An equipment demo and late afternoon meal will highlight grand opening festivities for Equipment Linc, Inc., Alabama’s newest logging equipment dealer based near Maplesville. The event is set to begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 7. The demo will take place in a timberstand located almost adjacent to Equipment Linc’s location at 13711 Highway 191, Maplesville. According to president Tommy Moore, Equipment Linc plans to feature a new Delfab Phoenix 703 tri-wheel feller-buncher and Barko loader/CSI delimber combo. It is ➤ 38
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EquipmentWorld 36 ➤ also hoping to demonstrate a new arko 2 0 track processor fitted with a Southstar head.
“We welcome everyone to come watch the demo, talk with factory reps and our people, check out our facility,
and enjoy some good food and hospitality,” Moore says. Equipment Linc opened its doors last fall. Its product line includes Barko, Delfab, Rotobec, Big John, CSI, EcoTracks and Tiffin parts. Visit equipmentlinc.com or call 334-366-4661.
Morbark Expands Fabick Territory
Morbark has expanded the territory of Fabick Cat, which will now serve industrial equipment customers throughout Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Fabick Cat also carries the full Morbark equipment line in the southern portions of Missouri and Illinois. “Fabick Cat has been a high-quality and productive dealer for Morbark for many years,” says Michael Stanton, Morbark Director of Industrial Products. The expansion adds eight locations carrying the Morbark product line: Marquette, in Michigan, and Madison, Green Bay, Wausau, Eau Claire, Superior, La Crosse and Milwaukee in Wisconsin.
Mid-South Forestry Show Begins Offering Space
Management personnel for the MidSouth Forestry Equipment Show have announced that the booth/site selection process has begun for exhibitors who participated in the 2016 show. Once the pre-selection process is complete non-claimed space and general exhibitor information, including the site selection map, will be posted at www. midsouthforestry.org and can be accessed by clicking the link for exhibitor information. The MSFES event, which ranks as the South’s top live equipment demo/display venue, will take place September 21-22 a few miles south of Starkville, Miss. The 2016 show set records for exhibitor participation and overall attendance.
Deere Swing Machine Receives Award
The John Deere 3756G Forestry Swing Machine has been recognized with a “Good Design Award,” which is organized annually by the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design and the European Centre for Architecture, Art, Design and Urban Studies. 38
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21 ➤ For some reason a lot of loggers will neglect road stuff but keep up the stuff in the woods.” Gibson is one who, in the interest of safety, takes steps to increase visibility of his trucks by using extra lights and brighter color paint jobs. Similarly, Log Creek is in the process of adding permanent strobes to the rear of all trailers. Likewise, Green is known for taking pride in the appearance of his trucks, painting them special colors and keeping them washed weekly. He does so for safety and improved public image, but it also help keep DOT at bay. Green also plans to invite local highway patrol officers to his regular safety meetings. “I want them to speak to my drivers, to keep the communications line open.” Mayhan also believes in the importance of appearance. “We keep our equipment up and we don’t have problems with tickets. I just think that when you’re doing right they recognize it, they really do.” For the same reasons, Mahan governs his trucks to a maximum 68 MPH, with a 5 MPH tolerance. “If they keep within that 5 MPH parameter for the week, they get paid extra,”
the logger says. “It can make as much as $50-60 a week difference, so it is a real incentive and has greatly improved fuel mileage. It also means less wear and tear on brakes and tires. I get compliments on the trucks doing what they’re supposed to be doing, not only from individuals but from the highway patrol. They know my trucks. One told me he hears other truckers on the CB when they are behind my drivers, complaining about them driving the speed limit. I don’t care because it’s a safety issue and it’s the law.”
Drivers Buy-In “My experience has been most people look at truck drivers as the bottom of the food chain and their pay usually is bottom of the food chain,” Mayhan says. Olson agrees, saying: “We are the low man on the totem pole.” Mayhan elaborates, “Drivers make $25 a load minimum and have to work all day to get four or five loads. That’s $100-125 a day. But in the woods you can make $150 for nine hours. That’s not fair.” He tries to make sure drivers get their fair share. “My boys make $1
a mile or $40 a load before bonus. If they get four loads a day, that’s $160; five loads is $200. It comes out so they make as much as the boys in the woods, for about the same number of hours. If they have to sit waiting at the mill a long time, and lose loads, I pay them extra to make up the difference for missed loads.” To promote a sense of ownership, Mid Star will occasionally lease a truck to a select driver, and they become stakeholders with a vested interest in the truck’s profitability and efficiency. Eventually, these drivers can own their trucks. Of its 32 trucks, two are now independent contractors who bought their trucks through Mid Star’s program. Joel Olson Trucking has done something similar. Respect for drivers is personal to Mayhan. He started out with just one truck, which he drove. “I always felt like the bottom of the food chain, like I never got treated fair,” he recalls. “I told the Lord if I ever got in the position that I had hands working for me, I’d take care of them. He allowed me to have this positon and I can’t back up on my word.” TH
Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers
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InnovationWay Doppstadt Chipper Options
Doppstadt has expanded the range of its chippers to suit the market needs: the tracked DH 811 K for forest and farmland applications and the DH 910 SA-B with semitrailer chassis for semi-stationary operation. The machines can be adjusted to various kinds of timber by means of different knife arrangements and screening baskets. They run with state-of-the-art engines that comply with Euromot IV / Tier 4. The tracked version of the DH 811 with compact design is 6 m long, 2.5 m large and 3.3 m high. Since the upper carriage can be swiveled by up to 270° the DH 811 K assumes an optimum working position even on most difficult terrains. The semitrailer chipper DH 910 SA-B is suited for continuous industrial operation on wood yards. It can process logs up to 90 cm diameter. A belt, which can be swiveled by up to 90°, discharges the wood chips carefully thus producing high quality wood chips with a reduced fines content. Visit doppstadt.de/en/
Bandit Grinder Enhancements Bandit Industries has added to its Beast horizontal grinder lineup with the Model 2460XP, available as a towable or track machine with 520 HP. Special attention was paid to making the 2460XP among the easiest horizontal grinders to service and maintain. Common maintenance items were designed to be accessible from either the ground or on built-in platforms. The 2460XP is equipped with a 60" wide by 30" diameter, 30-tooth cuttermill running Bandit’s patented saw-tooth style cutterbodies. This regulates the size of the tooth’s bite, so most of the material is sized on the initial cut. For the tracked 2460XP, Bandit offers Strickland and Caterpillar tracks. Visit banditchippers.com.
Pierce Grapple Processor The Pierce grapple processor is designed to optimally grapple and process as effectively as traditional processors. It dangles like a grapple, with 360° continuous rotation, 53" arm opening and full measuring and processing, turning the work of the processor and loader into one dual purpose machine—and with perfect balance under a yarder. Visit piercepacific.com. 40
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SelectCuts As We (ALC) See It
Working Together: Are We? DANNY DRUCTOR If you have been following the legislative efforts of the American Loggers Council, you know we have been working to get state legal weight tolerances allowed on Interstate highways for way too long now. After all, the project began in 1997 and here we are 21 years later with the same result: nothing. Last year the Forest Resources Assn. (FRA) came on board and for the past 12 months both organizations have worked on the issue, seeking support on the Hill in Dructor Washington. We have both heard the same story: the railroads don’t support this. There are two ways to get things done in DC. One way is to throw money at an issue and the other is to form relationships with those who represent you. We prefer the second path for two main reasons: 1) we don’t have funding to throw at issues, and 2) when you create relationships, there is a true understanding of the issue and we are not simply attempting to buy influence. At a recent TEAM Safe Trucking (TST) meeting in South Carolina, I had the opportunity to speak to a group of individuals who represent insurance carriers who insure log trucks. I pleaded with them to get on board with us to help us get this legislation passed. If there is one thing I know for certain, their lobbying power in Washington is just as powerful, if not more so, than that of the railroads. What came out of that discussion was a real eye-opener for me, and one that I feel we should all think about when asking for another group’s help. I was told the reason the insurance lobby was still hesitant in supporting our proposal was because we still haven’t proven that we can clean up our act on the highways, and allowing log trucks to roll 70-75 miles per hour on Interstates was a real concern to them. Because all of this took place under the context of a TST meeting, and because we were discussing driver training for both new and veteran log haulers, it dawned on me that what they are concerned about is correct. Until we can voluntarily show that we are willing to make the effort to create a safer environment for our drivers and the motoring public, we will be hard pressed to gain support for this issue outside our industry. Regarding TST, its first driver training module is in place and you can go to www.teamsafetrucking.org to not only register for the training, but also print out certificates of completion once you have completed the course. There is a module for drivers and a module for owner-operators, and the best part is there is no charge for the course, but a donation would certainly be helpful and assist TST in keeping things current and being able to develop future courses and printable materials. We have always taken great pride in the fact that we do not go to Washington, DC looking for a handout. Our issues are generally fashioned around the concept of “just allow us to do our jobs” without further burdensome regulation. 42
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SelectCuts What we haven’t thought about is the repercussions that our proposals might have on other industry allies. If we can’t voluntarily improve safety and decrease incident rates with current drivers and freight system, how can we expect others to work with us to support legislation that could end up costing them? Let’s all really begin to work together. Volunteering a little bit of time to educate and train ourselves to create a safer environment just might get us what we need: the ability to haul state legal weights on safer Interstates. We will remain committed to this effort.
a wood pellet production plant in Greenwood, SC and related assets from The Navigator Company, S.A., a Portuguese paper and pulp company. This acquisition is the first investment by the new joint venture, which was recently created by Enviva to acquire, develop and construct wood pellet production plants and deep-water marine terminals in the Southeastern U.S. Enviva intends to make investments in the Greenwood plant to improve its operational efficiency and add additional emissions control equipment that the company ➤ 46
Dructor is the Executive Vice President for the American Loggers Council, a 501 (c)(6) not for profit trade association representing professional timber harvesters in 32 states. Visit amloggers.com or phone 409-625-0206.
Rex Lumber Names Jaye Procurement Manager Rex Lumber Co. named Alan Jaye as procurement manager for the company’s recently announced sawmill to be built near Troy, Ala. The $110 million facility is scheduled to start up in mid-2019 and produce approximately 240MMBF annually. Jaye’s 35-year career as a registered forester reflects broad technical knowledge and extensive business experience in all areas of professional forestry, including wood and fiber procurement, land management, resource sustainability, and environmental certification. He served the past six years as procurement manager for Enviva Pellets, formerly Green Circle Bio-Energy, of Cottondale, Fla. Prior to that he was employed as district procurement manager for Alabama River Woodlands, which supplied wood fiber for the Alabama River Pulp and Paper Mill Complex near Monroeville, Ala. A Monroeville native, Jaye holds a bachelor’s degree in forest management from Auburn University. He is a past director of the Alabama Forestry Assn. and currently serves as a director of the Florida Forestry Assn.
Enviva Completes Greenwood Purchase Enviva Holdings, LP, the world’s largest producer of industrial wood pellets, announced that it, through its previously announced joint venture, Enviva JV Development Company, LLC, has completed the acquisition of Foremost Authority For Professional Loggers
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SelectCuts 43 ➤ expects will increase its production capacity to 600,000 metric tons of wood pellets per year by 2019, subject to receiving the necessary permits. Enviva’s pellet plant operations now include seven manufacturing sites in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi and Florida, with an eighth under construction in Richmond County, North Carolina. In total, these facilities will represent more than 4 million metric tons of wood pellet production capacity on an annual basis.
OLC Reaches Out To Millennials Twenty-something Millennial generation logging equipment operators from Miller Timber Services in Philomath, Ore. told their stories to more than 400 local Oregon high school students at the first Future Forestry Workers Career Day during the Oregon Logging Conference (OLC) in Eugene, Ore. February 22-24. Kacie
Hillery, age 22, a recent Washington State University graduate, and Brayden Anderson, 23, both work in Miller’s CTL division, with Hillery operating a Ponsse forwarder and Anderson running a Ponsse harvester. Hillery, an environmental sciences graduate, said she was looking for something different to do when a family member met someone with Miller Timber and passed along a job opening. Part of her message was to never sell yourself short. “This is something I never imagined I could do but I can, and it’s also a job that women can perform just like men,” she said. Anderson, who started with Miller out of high school, operated a forwarder initially but has been on the harvester two years now. His message to the students was these kinds of jobs are huge opportunities in their home state. “I tried to open their eyes that this is a real opportunity to work, and
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EventsMemo Listings are submitted months in advance. Always verify dates and locations with contacts prior to making plans to attend.
April 5-7—Intermountain Logging Assn. Equipment Show & Conf., Mirabeau Park Convention Center, Spokane Valley, Wash. Call 208-245-3425; visit intermountainlogging.org. April 10-12— Kentucky Forest Industries Assn. annual meeting, Brown Hotel, Louisville, Ky. Call 502-695-3979; visit kfia.org. April 16-18—Forest Resources Assn. annual meeting, Hotel Monteleone, New Orleans, La. Call 202-296-3937; visit forestresources.org. April 22-24— American Wood Protection Assn. annual meeting, Seattle Marriott Waterfront, Seattle, Wash. Call 205-733-4077. visit awpa.com. April 25-27— Olympic Logging Conference, Fairmont Empress Hotel, Victoria, BC, Canada. Call 360-202-7014; visit olcnw.com. April 26-27—Michigan Assn. of Timbermen annual meeting, Boyne Mountain Resort, Boyne Falls, Mich. Call 989652-7200; visit timbermen.org. April 27-28—Associated Logging Contractors annual meeting, Best Western Lodge at River’s Edge, Orofino, Idaho. Call 208-667-6473; visit idahologgers.com. 46
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the technology is really neat.” OLC Manager Rikki Wellman noted that more than 20 high schools participated in the event, which allowed students to learn about current and future job opportunities in the logging industry and the skills required for each job. In addition to getting up close to modern day logging equipment, students also were able to visit one-on-one with industry professionals in a separate hall that allowed the students to network with potential future employers.
Easy Access to current advertisers! http://www.timberharvesting.com/advertiser-index/ This issue of Timber Harvesting is brought to you in part by the following companies, which will gladly supply additional information about their products. Barko Hydraulics BITCO Insurance Cat Forest Products Continental Biomass Industries D & B Truck & Equipment Sales John Deere Forestry Duratech Industries International East Coast Sawmill Expo Euroforest FinnMETKO 2018 Forest Chain Interforst 2018 Log Max Mid-South Forestry Equipment Show Morbark Northeastern Loggers Association Olofsfors Peterson Pacific Precision-Husky Prolenc Manufacturing Southstar Equipment Tigercat Industries Tire Chains Required Titan/Goodyear® Farm Tires Trelleborg Wheel Systems Nordic Volvo Trucks North America Wallingford’s Waratah Forestry Attachments
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