Transport for Timber Industry & Timber Trade
Sawn timber, glulam beams, panel products or planed goods — Logisticoo transports timber products from the sawmill to the trade, from the panel plant to furniture production and from the timber-construction firm straight to the building site. Timber places its own demands on transport: long goods such as structural solid timber and glulam beams need continuous loading lengths up to 13.6 m and clean bearing points, panel packs are heavy and edge-sensitive, and dried goods must not draw moisture en route — otherwise the painstakingly achieved wood moisture content is lost. We therefore run under a tarpaulin or in a box body, secure with lashing down, edge protection and anti-slip underlays and load over the open side or the roof when the plant loads by crane or side-loading forklift. Carpentry firms and timber-construction sites we supply precisely to the start of assembly, with a truck-mounted forklift or loader crane if needed for unloading points without equipment. Export services too — for example sawn timber to the Netherlands or glued timber to Austria — are part of the everyday routine of our services in 55 countries. You receive your fixed price within 30 minutes. Pellets and briquettes in sacks on pallets we also take along in groupage or as a part load.
Vehicles & equipment
In use are curtainsider semitrailers and mega-trailers with a sliding curtain and lifting roof for side and crane loading, as well as vehicles with a truck-mounted forklift for building sites; securing is done with lashing-down straps, edge-protection angles and anti-slip mats.
Typical requirements
- Long loading lengths up to 13.6 m for structural solid timber and glulam beams
- Moisture protection for kiln-dried goods under a tarpaulin or in a box body
- Side and crane loading from the sawmill or panel warehouse
- Edge-friendly securing of heavy panel packs
- Building-site delivery with a truck-mounted forklift or loader crane for the assembly date
- Export services to neighbouring European countries
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Typical consignments from the timber industry and timber trade
We transport the entire timber value chain. From the sawmill come sawn timber, squared timbers, battens and boards, often as long goods in packs. From the glued-timber plant run structural solid timber (KVH), glued laminated timber and long glulam beams up to 13.6 m. Panel plants supply heavy, edge-sensitive packs: chipboard, OSB, MDF and plywood panels. The timber trade and furniture production order planed goods, veneers and cut-to-size pieces, and timber-construction firms complete wall and roof elements for the building site. Added to these are pellets and briquettes in sacks on pallets. Consignees are the building-materials and timber trade, carpentry firms, furniture and window makers as well as timber-construction sites — from a single pallet space in groupage to the full load, including in export to neighbouring European countries.
Moisture protection, loading length and rules in timber transport
Timber makes three demands. First, length: KVH and glulam beams need the continuous 13.6 m loading length of a standard semitrailer and clean bearing points; up to this length we run without a special permit, and for overhang Section 22 of the German Road Traffic Regulations (StVO) applies. Second, moisture: kiln-dried goods must not draw moisture en route, otherwise the set wood moisture content (around 15% for KVH) is lost — hence transport under a closed tarpaulin or in a box body, supplemented by factory-side shrink-wrapping. Third, securing: heavy panel packs and long goods we secure edge-friendly to VDI 2700 with lashing down, edge-protection angles and anti-slip mats. Structural timber carries its CE marking to EN 14081; loading is done by side or crane loading at the plant.
How a timber transport works at Logisticoo
- Enquiry with type of goods, length, weight, number of pallets and details of whether loading is by crane/side-loading forklift.
- Fixed price in 30 minutes with the matching vehicle.
- Vehicle choice: curtainsider semitrailer or mega-trailer with sliding curtain and lifting roof for side/crane loading, with a truck-mounted forklift for building sites.
- Loading over the open side or roof, moisture-protected and edge-friendly securing.
- Transport under a closed tarpaulin, standing times in the rain are avoided.
- Delivery: on time to the trade and the plant, to carpentry firms and timber-construction sites precisely at the start of assembly, with a loader crane if needed for unloading points without equipment. That way the goods arrive with the wood moisture content they left the plant with.
What does a timber transport cost?
The fixed price is set in advance. Rules of thumb per kilometre (±15%): Sprinter for small quantities around €1.10/km (from €89), 7.5 t truck around €1.45/km (from €169), 12 t truck around €1.65/km (from €219), articulated truck/mega-trailer for long goods and full loads around €1.95/km (from €379). Example: a full load of glulam beams from the Black Forest to Berlin (around 750 km) on the articulated truck comes to roughly €1,250–1,680. Vehicles with a truck-mounted forklift for building-site delivery and crane/side loading are itemised separately. Fixed plant lanes and return loads — for example empty pallets or return transports — cut the per-kilometre price compared with the one-off trip.
Timber consignments and the right handling
| Product group | Example | Vehicle/loading | Critical point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long goods / glulam beams | KVH, glulam up to 13.6 m | Articulated truck, crane/side-loading forklift | Loading length/bearing |
| Panel products | Chipboard, OSB, MDF packs | Curtainsider, lashing down | Weight/edge protection |
| Dried goods | Planed goods, KVH | Closed box body/tarpaulin | Moisture protection |
| Timber-construction elements | Wall/roof elements | Mega-trailer + truck-mounted forklift | Assembly date |
| Pellets/briquettes | Sacks on pallets | Groupage/part load | Dryness |
Frequently asked questions
Can you transport 13 m long glulam beams?
Yes, a standard semitrailer offers 13.6 m of continuous loading length — glulam beams up to this length we run without a special permit. For greater lengths we examine the use of a semitrailer with permissible overhang or a permit-requiring option. What matters are clean bearing points and the arrangement of whether loading is by crane or forklift.
How do you protect kiln-dried sawn timber from rain?
Dried goods travel as a rule under a closed tarpaulin or in the box-body vehicle, and the packs should additionally be wrapped in film on the factory side. During loading our drivers make sure the tarpaulin stays open only after full securing and that standing times in the rain are avoided — that way the goods arrive with the wood moisture content they left the plant with.
Do you load from the sawmill by crane or side-loading forklift?
Yes. For factory-side side or crane loading we deploy curtainsider semitrailers and mega-trailers with a sliding curtain and lifting roof, so that the plant can place the packs from above or from the open side. We arrange in advance whether loading is by crane or side-loading forklift and where the bearing points sit, so that neither the goods nor the load bed is damaged.
Do you deliver timber-construction elements to the building site on time?
Yes. Carpentry firms and timber-construction sites we supply precisely at the start of assembly, so that wall and roof elements do not stand in the way for days or the team has to wait. For unloading points without their own equipment we deploy vehicles with a truck-mounted forklift or loader crane, which set the elements down even on unpaved ground. Your dispatcher clarifies the access route in advance.
Do you also take just a single pallet of pellets or cut-to-size pieces?
Yes. Single pallet spaces — for example pellets and briquettes in sacks or planed cut-to-size pieces — we run economically in groupage or as a part load; you pay only for the load space occupied. Moisture-sensitive goods we transport just as weatherproof under a tarpaulin or in a box body as a full load.