Korkeakoski sawmill organised an educational event for 150 pupils from Juupajoki school with a focus on safety in heavy goods vehicle traffic. The pupils also got to explore Aki Sammalisto’s new HCT vehicle, which transports chips from Juupajoki to UPM mills in Rauma, Kymi and Kaukas.
Last January Korkeakoski sawmill organised an event for 150 pupils from Juupajoki school. The event focused on safety in heavy goods vehicle traffic and the introduction of the new HCT combination vehicle. Because Juupajoki school is located near Korkeakoski sawmill, it is essential that pupils and communities operating nearby are given safety-related training. Several groups of pupils visited the sawmill where they had a chance to explore Aki Sammalisto’s new 30-metre long HCT vehicle. The pupils were particularly interested in the cab. They had a chance to satisfy their curiosity and to peek inside the cab.
Koneurakointi Aki Sammalisto Oy’s new and second HCT truck for transporting chips started operating the very same day. The maximum weight of the loaded vehicle is 91 tonnes, and it transports chips to UPM mills in Rauma, Kymi and Kaukas. The same route is driven by Aki Sammalisto’s 84-tonne HCT vehicle, which started transporting wood chips in July 2017 under a special permit from The Finnish Transport Safety Agency, Trafi.
Efficient and ecological
“HCT combination vehicles, which started transporting chips last year, run efficiently and safely. These three combination vehicles have already shifted over 2800 loads of wood chips. The efficiency of these vehicles becomes apparent when a comparison is made: transporting the same amount of wood chips would have required approximately 1200 more runs with normal combination vehicles,” says Janne Kukkura, logistics expert at UPM.
HCT vehicle combinations are part of the research coordinated by Metsäteho Oy. The research investigates HCT vehicle combinations and focuses on their capabilities and differences. “Aki Sammalisto’s new HCT vehicle combination brings an important addition to the vehicles under investigation. The purpose of the research is to ensure that future trucks are safe and more ecological and more efficient compared to the current combinations,” says Janne Kukkura.
Koneurakointi Sammalisto’s HCT combination vehicle is the fifth used by UPM’s contractors. In 2017, two combination vehicles for transporting wood chips started operation: Kuljetusliike Kalevi Huhtala transport company’s HCT combination vehicle started transporting wood chips from Seikku sawmill in Pori to UPM mills in Rauma, and Koneurakointi Aki Sammalisto’s first HCT combination vehicle started transporting from Juupajoki to Rauma, Kymi and Kaukas.