5.3 Specific planning considerations for road transport of supplies to programme sites

When planning and managing road transportation of supplies to programme sites, consider:

  • available routes and their conditions
  • possible trans-shipment points
  • constraint on routes such as weight limits on bridges
  • potential security risks to personnel and goods
  • usability of the routes year-round, given the different weather conditions
  • telecommunication facilities between key points along each route
  • the type, capacity and cost of fuel and maintenance facilities
  • time for the return trip on each, including loading and offloading
  • possible bottlenecks on each route, and potential solutions in terms of cost and time to resolve number and size of vehicles required
  • How many tonnes must be moved, and by when?
  • How long will the vehicles take to bring a load from the delivery point to the reception point and return? Do not overestimate the speed, and include loading and unloading time.
  • Add 25% extra time for contingencies.
  • What load capacity do the vehicles have?

Number of possible trips per vehicle =               Period in hours      
Duration back and forth

 

Number of loads =                            Total number of tonnes
Vehicle capacity

 

Number of vehicles =                              Number of loads              
Number of possible trips/vehicles

Note!

  • This table is based on the weight of the load. However, you must also take into account the volume of the load.
  • If vehicles of different load capacity are used in the operation, the estimate should be recalculated for each vehicle.

If supplies are going to different destinations, each destination requires its own calculation.