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Careful haul road design and a well thought out maintenance plan are wise investments. "An efficient and well-planned haul road can reduce operating costs of most jobsites," says Mike Tolman, market segment manager - North America, Construction, Port and Industrial Tires, Michelin Earthmover Tires.

Haul roads should not be an afterthought. "The most common mistake for haul roads is lack of planning," says Tim Good, global customer account manager OTR tires, Goodyear. "It is not enough just to get between points A and B. Contractors must consider safety, efficiency and tire and equipment life. Haul-road design must consider the material used, road width, grade and crown, curve radius and super elevation."

You also need to consider the equipment that will use the haul road. "Sometimes when designing roads, the equipment that is going to be running on those roads is not taken into consideration — only the equipment being used to build the road," says Tolman. "The materials used to build the roads play a very important part, particularly when the sites are in rainy areas."

Tire choice is also critical. "The design of the haul roads needs to match up to the rubber compounds of the tires being used on a particular site," says Tolman. "For example, certain compounds are better suited to short hauls vs. longer hauls, and if used in the wrong application, the tires can be damaged to the point that they are no longer serviceable."

Every jobsite and type of haul road requires a unique approach. Consider the case for motor wheel scrapers. "Scraper haul roads are usually a short-term requirement and they are changed frequently during a job," says Good. "The top priority for a scraper operator is ‘don't spin the wheels'. Therefore, minimize grade or plan to shut down scraper operations during bad weather if the grades are steep. In addition, use a push dozer with a flat blade or a two-scraper push-pull arrangement when loading."