Using grain trucks for transporting grain and seeds. Grain trucks are specialized transport for transporting grains

Grain and leguminous cargoes include seeds of cereals, legumes, oilseeds, and products of their processing: flour, groats, compound feed, and cake. The main transportation of grain cargoes occurs during the spring-summer period and is associated with sowing, and then with the harvesting of crops from the fields. During this period, grain trucks are often seen on the roads, but such transport occurs year-round. Grain is transported to ports, from fields, to grain storage facilities, from elevators to mills, and to other places of consumption.

Features of transporting grains and legumes as cargo

From the perspective of transportation, the main features of grain are that it is alive and that it always contains impurities. Since grain is alive, it breathes. Oxygen is absorbed, and carbon dioxide is released. This process is accompanied by the release of heat. Grain can self-heat and spoil as a result. The process of self-heating is exacerbated by its increased moisture and heavy contamination with weed seeds. During long transports, self-heating of the grain requires ventilation, turning, and other methods to combat the problem. Additionally, grain can be infested with pests and spoil as well. Therefore, only conditioned grain with acceptable moisture is allowed for long transports. Wet and infested grain is transported only with special permits or not transported at all.

Moisture can spoil grain, particularly leading to its germination. Therefore, grain cargoes are transported only in covered specialized transport grain trucks. Grain is a light cargo, so the sides of the dump trucks and trucks transporting it are raised, but they are always covered with tarpaulin on top to protect against atmospheric precipitation and to prevent the cargo from being blown away by the wind and spilling out.

Rules for transporting grain and leguminous cargoes

Transportation of grain from agricultural plants is carried out according to the following rules:

• Grain cargoes are transported in packaged or bulk ways. In the packaged method, grain is packed in bags weighing 50 kg. In the bulk method, grain is poured loose into the cargo compartments of vehicles.
• Grain and leguminous cargoes must be protected from atmospheric precipitation during transport, and when transported in bulk, from spilling over the edge and being blown away by the wind.
• All joints and gaps in the transport compartments for grain transport are sealed to prevent spillage during transport.
• Only non-infested grain that meets moisture requirements is allowed for transport.

Transportation of grain cargoes by different types of transport

Grain, oilseed, and leguminous cargoes can be transported by all types of modern transport: road, water, rail, and air.

In road transport of unpackaged grain, flatbed and dump trucks, trailers, and semi-trailers are most often used. Due to the lightness of the cargo, the sides of the vehicles are raised. The most efficient transport of grain is done with specialized bulk dump trucks. This reduces unloading time at the destination. Packaged grain crops are transported in covered vans, trailers, and semi-trailers.

By rail, bulk grain is transported in hopper cars, which have sloping walls and hatches for quick loading and unloading of grain. Packaged and loaded grain and legumes are transported by rail in covered cars.

Water transport for unpackaged grain, in bulk, has special vessels — bulk carriers. Such vessels transport bulk cargoes. Packaged grain and legumes are transported on dry cargo ships in specially equipped and ventilated holds for grains and oilseeds.

Air transport rarely moves grain due to high costs. However, if urgent delivery is needed, it can be transported in packaged form.

Multimodal transport. Prepared grain and leguminous cargoes can be transported in ISO containers across all types of transport. However, in recent years, bulk grain is increasingly being transported in containers. For this, hatches are made in the roof of the container for loading grain. Unloading occurs at the final destination through doors. The container is tilted by a special device. In multimodal transport, this method reduces the number of loading and unloading operations, which allows for cost savings.

If you want to know the cost of transporting your grain cargo and find a carrier, submit a request in the “Add Cargo” section.