FORESTHAULING.ORG – ONE-STOP TRUCKING WEB SITE FOR LOGGERS

INTRODUCTION: Forest product haulers now have a one-stop web site for both federal and state information. The site is www.foresthauling.org and is formatted as a dashboard that is easy to navigate.

GENERAL FEATURES: The site provides links to established sites for current information on regulatory compliance, safety record access, truck registrations, latest rulemaking, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) answers, state transportation laws, posted roads and bridges, special hauling permits, and much more. A key feature is the ability to work at the federal information dashboard and then navigate down to individual states. Haulers will be able to download information on their own state as well as states they cross into, for example to understand the special hauling permit requirements of an adjacent state. Other features are access to a trucking cost calculator under a “Cost of Doing Business” section and also a “Fuel Central” button that gives the viewer up-to-date fuel pricing information for a given region. The site also provides safety resource material, and a popular link back to www.loggingsafety.com guides the viewer to that site’s large archive of trucking safety materials for logging businesses.

The individual state sites are organized in terms of the following subjects or linked web sites: state enforcement agencies, state transportation regulations, state trucking handbooks, special hauling permits, state truck registrations, general highway maps, primary truck routes, restricted roads, posted bridges, and escort certifications. Each state site also includes contact buttons for logging associations, forestry associations, and trucking associations for additional resources, as needed.

The site is expanding. If any user needs additional information resources, he or she can reach the webmaster@foresthauling.org to submit requests. The user can also request to be added to a special e-mail distribution list of timely transportation issues impacting forest product haulers. The North Carolina Association of Professional Loggers (NCAPL) developed the web site with funding from the Timber Harvesting and Transportation Safety Foundation (THATS). NCAPL is the current custodian of the site and will be maintaining and improving www.foresthauling.org into the future.

Doug Duncan
Executive Director
NC Association of Professional Loggers, Inc.
contact@ncloggers.com
www.ncloggers.com

Reviewed by:
Vickie Hoffart
Lakes States and Western Region Manager