Cost of professional grain transportation, types of grain carriers for transporting grain crops

Recommendations for shipping grains

A grain carrier is a specialized vehicle designed for transporting bulk agricultural cargo. In addition to grain, this transport is used to carry legumes, animal feed, malt, oilseed seeds, and other agricultural products.

Types of grain carriers

The hopper for transporting cargo by grain carriers can be:

• stationary;
• semi-trailer;
• trailer.

Due to the fact that the cargo transported by grain carriers occupies a large volume with a small weight, the sides of all types of hoppers are raised to a height that allows for maximum utilization of the vehicle's carrying capacity. Agricultural crops are sensitive to moisture, so the cargo is often covered with a tarpaulin. In good weather, it is possible to transport grain without a tarpaulin; however, in this case, the cargo is at risk.

There are many models and modifications of grain carriers. These can be trucks with a stationary body, road trains consisting of a grain carrier with a stationary body and a trailer hopper, or a semi-trailer transported by a tractor unit. Most grain carriers have a useful volume of grain hoppers ranging from 60 to 70 cubic meters and a carrying capacity of up to 45 tons. However, there are models with a useful loading volume of up to 100 cubic meters. The height of the sides of the grain carrier ranges from 2.7 to 4 meters.

For the effective use of grain carriers, the method of unloading is fundamentally important. To this day, vehicles are used to unload grain, which requires additional manpower. However, increasingly, dump-type grain carriers are being used. In this case, the vehicle is additionally equipped with a hydraulic cylinder or cylinders that tilt the body in a specified direction, allowing the grain to spill out. The unloading of dump grain carriers can occur backward, sideways, or in multiple directions. Dump grain carriers can be not only stationary but also semi-trailers and trailers designed for transporting grain. The use of dump grain carriers allows for saving both time and money during unloading.

Can grain carriers be used for transporting other bulk cargo?

Technically, nothing prevents transporting other non-agricultural cargo on a grain carrier. However, this is usually not done. Firstly, a grain carrier, while transporting various agricultural crops, may be occupied throughout the entire harvest period and afterwards. Between harvests, grain carriers can deliver animal feed, grain, legumes, and oilseeds from their storage locations to their consumption and processing sites. Secondly, grain carriers transport raw materials for food products, and contamination of their hoppers with sand, cement, and other non-agricultural bulk cargo is undesirable.