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Analyzing Site Mass Haul for a Simple Site

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About this tutorial
We will show you the power and flexibility of Trimble Business Center (TBC) by guiding you
through a basic mass haul analysis for a simple site. Start by creating a cut/fill map. Then run an
initial mass haul analysis. Add haul roads between cut and fill zones around the site, as well as a
waste site. Then recalculate to view the effects on the mass haul analysis. When you are satisfied
that the haulages make sense, finish by running the 41TSite Mass Haul Report41T4 to confirm the costs
of balancing your earthworks.

Iterating in this tutorial and mass haul analyses in general

The haulage analyses you generate both here and in your projects will vary greatly based on the
costs you specify for:
• Collection
• Hauling
• Dispersion
• Borrow materials
• Haul roads
as well as haul road and earthwork site connection tolerances and waste site space. With so
many variables, the main thing to learn in this tutorial is the workflow and various tools you can
use to iterate until you get the balancing plan you want. When you first start a mass haul
project, get a sense of where the overall imbalance of material. Then iterate by adjusting the
various costs and other factors that are available to you.

9TPrerequisites:
You must have a license for 41TSite Construction41T4. On the TBC ribbon, select Support > License
Manager to see if you are licensed for this feature set. If you are not, contact your dealer for
help.

Tip:
Unless you have two, side-by-side monitors, you may find it easier to print this tutorial so that
you can maximize the program on your monitor. Working from a printed copy also prevents
focus issues caused by switching back and forth between the tutorial PDF and the program.

Time:
This tutorial should take you 1 - 2 hours to complete.
 Step 1. Open a project and check project settings

Step 1. Open a project and check project settings

As you begin any project, you should confirm the measurement units and specify any other
settings that your specific data or workflow might require.

Note: The AnalyzingMassHaulForASimpleSite folder that you downloaded and extracted contains:
- this PDF tutorial
- a .vce project with data to use as the starting point
- a finished AnalyzingSiteMassHaul.vce project file for you to reference
You will import data from the data folder later in this tutorial.

1. On the ribbon, select 41TFile > Open 41Tand navigate to the folder you downloaded.
41T 41T

2. Open the project file called 40TAnalyzingMassHaulForASimpleSite.vce4.0T The project data looks
40T 40T

like this:

3. To avoid overwriting the original file, select53T File > Save Project As5.3T
53T 53T

4. Type a new name for your project, and click11T Save11T. 1T 1T

5. Click US Survey Foot on the S

41T tatus bar41T at the bottom of the program to open the 41TProject
41T 41T 41T

Settings4.1T
41T

6. Select Computations > Mass Haul in the left pane.

7. Click the name of each setting to see a description of what it controls.
8. The Site connection tolerance and Earthwork site size seem fine for now, but the Haul
road connection tolerance is too tight, so change it to 15 ft.

Analyzing Site Mass Haul for a Simple Site 3

 Step 2. Create a cut/fill map

9. Select Computations > Surface in the left pane, and scroll down to Grid Label Settings.
These are the settings that will affect the appearance of the cut/fill map you create in the
next section.
10. The defaults look fine for now, so click Cancel.

Step 2. Create a cut/fill map

Prepare to run the site mass haul analysis by creating a map that indicates areas on a surface
that need to be cut or filled to achieve the design. The cut and fill areas can be indicated by
shading and/or a grid of values labeling the elevation differences between two surfaces, such as
an original and a design surface. On the grid, measurements are also color-coded to indicate
where earth needs to be cut or filled.
1. On the ribbon, select Home > 41TView Filter Manager41T (VFM). 41T 41T

2. In the 41TSurface41T group, right-click the 41TFD with subgrades adjusted41T surface and select View
41T 41T 41T 41T

Only This.
This surface was formed by removing the depth of all designed subgrades (such as road
beds and building pads) from the Finished design surface.

3. Review the 41TOriginal41T ground surface in the same way to see how the surfaces relate to each
41T 41T

other.
Now create a cut/fill map to see the elevation differences between the surfaces.
4. On the ribbon, select 41TSite Mass Haul > Create Cut/Fill Map41T.
41T 41T

5. In the 41TName41T box, type 41TCut/fill map41T as the identifier that you want to appear in the 41TProject
41T 41T 41T 41T 41T

Explorer41T and 41TProperties41T pane.

41T 41T 41T

Analyzing Site Mass Haul for a Simple Site 4

 Step 2. Create a cut/fill map

6. Select/confirm 41TOriginal ground41T in the 40TInitial40T list. 41T 41T 40T 40T

In your own projects, you can select a surface with any classification, but the Initial surface
should reflect the state of the site’s topography before the surface you select as the Final
surface.
7. Select 41TFD with subgrades41T adjusted in the 40TFinal40T box.
41T 41T 40T 40T

8. Under 41TMap Features41T, leave both boxes checked:

41T 41T

• 41TShade map41T - This will display cut and fill areas in graduated colors based on the current
41T 41T

color mapping you reviewed in Project Settings.

• 4 abel grid41T - This will display a grid of values showing cut and fill depths and specific
1TL
41T 41T

locations on the difference model.

9. Select 41T<<New layer>>41T in the 41TLayers41T list, create a new layer called 41TMap labels41T for the grid
41T 41T 41T 41T 41T 41T

of cut/fill labels, choose a layer Color, and click Close.

10. In the 40TText style40T box, select <
40T 41T <New style>>. The text style allows you to control the font
40T 41T

text, font style, justification, and size for the cut/fill map’s grid annotations41T. 41T

11. In the 41TText Style Manager4,1T select the CUT_FILL_GRID_LABELS text style.
41T 41T

12. Change the 41THeight41T to 0.41T054,1T and click 41TOK41T. 41T 41T 41T 41T 41T 41T

13. In the 40TGrid spacing40T box, type 41T1541T for the uniform interval at which the tick marks for the
40T 40T 41T 41T

measurements will be spaced.

Note: Sometimes, you will need to iterate to find the appropriate text style height and
spacing.

14. Leave 40TGrid style40T set to 41TTicks41T.

40T 40T 41T 41T

15. Select 41T0.141T for the number of decimals to use in the grid's measurements in the 40TDecimal
41T 41T 40T

precision40T list. 40T

16. Click 1TOK11T. The cut/fill map is created and appears in the 41TPlan View41T and the 41TProject Explorer4.1T
1T 1T 41T 41T 41T 41T

Analyzing Site Mass Haul for a Simple Site 5

 Step 2. Create a cut/fill map

Additional properties, such as the grid's insertion point and rotation, and cut, fill, and zero
colors, can be set in the 41TProperties41T pane later.
41T 41T

17. Zoom in and review the cut/fill map in the 41TPlan View41T. Notice that the labels are color-coded
41T 41T

with the cut, fill, and at grade colors.

18. Click the New 3D View icon on the Quick Access toolbar to see the map in the 41T3D View41T
41T 41T

as well.
19. In the VFM, right-click the Cut/fill map surface and select View Only This.
20. Also, uncheck the Layers box to hide all the layers.
21. Change the vertical exaggeration, press [Control] + [Shift] and roll the mouse wheel.
22. Rotate the view either by clicking-and-dragging the middle mouse button or pressing
[41T Control]41T and right-clicking-and-dragging.
41T 41T

23. Roll the mouse wheel to zoom in and investigate the map.

Analyzing Site Mass Haul for a Simple Site 6

 Step 3. Run a mass haul analysis with auto-generated ‘routes’

A cut/fill map is not a surface, but rather a difference model (isochore). Red represents areas
of cut; blue represents areas to fill; the green line is the daylight line. Here is what yours
should look like (with a small vertical exaggeration applied).

Step 3. Run a mass haul analysis with auto-generated ‘routes’

Now that you have a cut/fill map, use the 41TCreate Site Mass Haul Analysis41T command to
41T 41T

determine an initial distribution of in situ earthen material from cut zones to fill zones. Mass haul
analyses help you estimate the earthwork costs of transforming your existing surface into the
design surface.
The workflow is divided into two phases:
a. Create an initial, less-accurate mass haul analysis with auto-created haul routes from
the centroids of cut zones to the centroids of fill zones. View the initial results
graphically and in the Mass Haul Balance View.
b. Add more realistic haul roads manually and rerun the analysis to determine the
optimal routes from each cut zone to an associated fill zone. Then rerun the 41TSite 41T

Mass Haul Report41T for more accurate results based on the haul roads.
41T

1. Click the Plan View tab.

2. In the 41TVFM41T, uncheck the box for Surface > Cut/fill map, and check the box for Layers
41T 41T

>41T150 ft Grid41T.
41T 41T

Analyzing Site Mass Haul for a Simple Site 7

 Step 3. Run a mass haul analysis with auto-generated ‘routes’

For the sake of convenience in this tutorial, this layer with a grid of mass haul zones has
been included.

Note: There is also a more granular grid on the Mass Haul Grid layer if you want to iterate
with smaller zones later.

3. On the ribbon, select 41TSite Mass Haul > Create Site Mass Haul Analysis41T.
41T 41T

4. In the 41TName41T box, type41T Mass haul plan – no roads.

41T 41T 41T

Each analysis you create is a snapshot of the current state of the site, so if you plan to run
more than one analysis, name the analysis to reflect a point in time.
5. Confirm 41TCut/fill map41T in the 41TCut/Fill map41T list.
41T 41T 41T 41T

6. In the 41THaul Zones41T group, click

41T 41T to add the zones shown above.
7. In the 40TEdit Haul Zone Boundaries40T pane, click 41TOptions41T next to the 41TSelection41T box, and
40T 40T 41T 41T 41T 41T

choose 41TSelect by Layer41T.

41T 41T

8. In the 41TSelect by Layer41T pane, check the box for 41T150 ft Grid41T, and click 41TClose.
41T 41T 41T 41T 41T

9. Click 1TAdd11T and then 1TClose1.1T The selected lines for the 28 haul zones (29 objects) are added.
1T 1T 1T 1T

10. In the 41TAuto-create path 41Tlist group, select 41TYes41T to compute the initial simple haul routes from
41T 41T 41T 41T

the centroid of each cut zone to the centroids of fill zones.

11. In the Haul Cost box, enter41T 0.2541T as the price to push one unit of in situ material (in loose
41T 41

haulage state) per distance unit from zone to zone on the site. This cost is used when
material is transferred from cut zones to fill zones along auto generated paths.
12. In the Dispersion Cost box, enter41T 0.0241T the cost to disperse one volume unit of material (in 41T 41T

loose haul state) one mile/kilometer from the end of the haul route around the fill zone.
13. In the Collection Cost box, enter41T 0.0241T the cost to collect one volume unit of material (in 41T 41T

loose haul state) one mile/kilometer from around the cut zone to the start of the haul route.
See other notes on costs at the end of this document.

Analyzing Site Mass Haul for a Simple Site 8

 Step 3. Run a mass haul analysis with auto-generated ‘routes’

Note: All costs in this tutorial are hypothetical. Mass haul commands and reports display
the currency symbol and format that you have set in Microsoft Windows62TP®P62T Regional and
62TP P62T

Language Options. The units and calculations, however, are not associated with a specific
currency, so if a project is opened on a computer with different regional settings, those
currency symbol and formats are used, but no conversion between currencies has been
made.
Note: This command displays the currency symbol and format that you have set in
Microsoft WindowsP®P Regional and Language Options. The units and calculations, however,
P P

are not associated with a specific currency, so if a project is opened on a computer with
different regional settings, those currency symbol and formats are used, but no conversion
between currencies has been made.

14. Since you have not specified native and borrow materials, leave the Account for shrinkage
and bulkage box unchecked.
15. Click OK. The mass haul analysis is created under the Earthworks node in the Project
Explorer. In the Plan View, the analysis assigns each zone a numbered name (unrelated to
the AOI name). Simple haul roads are drawn from the center of mass of each cut zone to the
center of mass of an associated fill zone.
In the 41TPlan View41T, the analysis assigns each zone a numbered name. Simple proposed haul
41T 41T

‘routes’ are indicated by arrows pointing from the centroids of cut zones to the centroids of
fill zones. Zones that have both cut and fill also have circular haulage arrows. After this first
auto-generated first analysis is computed, you can refine the zone to zone routes by
selecting haul roads (linestrings) between the cut and fill zones. (see the notes at the end of
this document for additional information.)

Analyzing Site Mass Haul for a Simple Site 9

 Step 4. View the site mass haul balance

16. Return to the VFM and recheck to box next to Surface > Cut/fill map to re-display the cut
and fill colors.

17. Review the analysis in relation to the cut and fill areas to confirm that the haulages make
sense.

Step 4. View the site mass haul balance

To view a summary of material movements recommended by the site mass haul analysis, use the
Mass Haul Balance View command.
1. On the ribbon, select Site Mass Haul > Mass Haul Balance View. A table showing the
amount of material moved from one zone to another is shown.
2. Review the results by clicking each column header to view the balances grouped by source
zone, destination zone, volume, or distance.

Analyzing Site Mass Haul for a Simple Site 10

 Step 5. Convert Lines into Haul Roads

3. Click a row to highlight the selected zone and route arrows in the Plan View and details in
the Properties pane (press F11 if you do not have it open).

Step 5. Convert Lines into Haul Roads

For a more accurate mass haul analysis, you can refine the zone to zone routes by adding haul
roads (represented by linestrings) and earthwork sites (borrow pits, waste sites, and processing
sites) that exist on and/or around the job site.
First convert lines that denote dirt roads on the site into haul roads so they will be considered
among the haul routes.
1. Close the Mass Haul Balance View.

Analyzing Site Mass Haul for a Simple Site 11

 Step 6. Add a nearby waste site

2. In the VFM, hide the Cut/fill map and Mass haul plan – no roads, and check the box next
to the 41TDirt roads41T layer to make the potential haul roads visible.
41T 41T

3. On the ribbon, select Site Mass Haul > Convert to Haul Road.
4. Click 41TOptions41T next to the 41TSelection41T box, and choose 41TSelect by Layer4.1T
41T 41T 41T 41T 41T 41T

5. In the Plan View, pick one of the roads,41T and click 41TClose4.1T 41T 41T 41T

6. In the Haul c41Tost ($/yd41T62P P41T62/ft)41T box, enter41T 0.2541T as the price to haul one unit (in loose haulage
41T
3
41T62P P41T62 41T 41T 41T

state) per distance unit along the haul road.

This cost is multiplied by the length of the haul road to calculate the Unit cost per volume
(described below). The 41TUnit cost per volume41T shows the price to move each unit of material
41T 41T

the length of the selected haul road segment.

7. Click 41TApply41T and then 41TClose4.1T Seven lines are converted into haul roads.
41T 41T 41T 41T

48TNote:48T Haul roads will be rejected if their end points are invalid. This happens when the haul
48T 48T

road does not start or end within a zone, starts and ends in the same zone, or starts and
ends in zones already covered by a previously added haul road. Bi-directional haul roads
cover their start and end zones in both directions.

Haul roads have unique properties, such as cost and directionality, that enable them to be
used in mass haul analyses. To see and edit these properties, use the 41TProperties41T pane. 41T 41T

8. Pick one of the converted haul roads in the Plan View, and press 41T[F11]41T to review the 41T 41T

attributes4.1T 41T

9. When you are done, close the 41TProperties41T pane. 41T 41T

Step 6. Add a nearby waste site

Use the Create Earthworks Site command to geographically add a waste site and a borrow pit
so they can be used to balance the earthworks in the mass haul analysis. Waste sites are areas
where unusable and/or excess material is dumped to reduce the cost of the mass haul or to

Analyzing Site Mass Haul for a Simple Site 12

 Step 6. Add a nearby waste site

remove it from the job site. Borrow pits are areas that provide additional fill material when there
is a deficit in earthen material. Borrow sites are only considered in the mass haul analysis if they
are connected to the site via a haul road.
1. On the ribbon, select Site Mass Haul > Create Earthworks Site.
2. In the Site type list, select Waste Site.
3. In the Name box, type the name of the waste site as you want it to appear under the
Earthworks node of the Project Explorer.
4. In the Layer list, confirm Earthworks as the layer on which you want the waste site to
reside.
5. Click in the Location box and pick the end of the southernmost haul road the in the Plan
View (the coordinate is 5219.325, 10387.525).

6. In the Cost box, enter 0.02 as the cost per cubic unit of volume (in its compacted state)
to dump material. The cost to dump different materials at the same waste site is the
same.
7. In the Capacity box, enter 20,000 ydP3P as the volume of material (in its compacted state)
P P

that can be dumped at the waste site.

8. Click Apply.

Analyzing Site Mass Haul for a Simple Site 13

 Step 7. Rerun the mass haul analysis with the roads and sites

9. If the yellow dot in the Layer box alertes you that the Earthworks layer is currently
hidden, return to the VFM to display that layer so you can see the waste site icon.

10. Follow similar steps to create a borrow pit at the end of the road (6236.788, 10501.325)
above the site. Enter an Undefined material with a Cost of 0.40 and site Capacity of
10.000 yd3P P

11. Close the pane and save your project.

Step 7. Rerun the mass haul analysis with the roads and sites
Now that that you have added more real-world information for the mass haul analysis to use,
rerun it.
1. In the Project Explorer41T > Earthworks4,1T right-click 41TMass Haul Analysis41T and select 41TCreate Site
41T 41T 41T 41T 41T

Mass Haul Analysis.

2. In the 41TName41T box, type41T Mass haul plan - with roads and sites41T.
41T 41T 41T 41T

3. Add the 150 ft Grid of haul zones as you did before.

4. In the 41TAuto-create path 41Tlist group, select 41TYes41T again. Now that you have added haul roads, it
41T 41T 41T 41T

will use those, but also compute the initial simple haul routes from the centroid of each cut
zone to the centroids of fill zones where roads are not available.
5. In the Haul Cost box, enter41T 0.2541T again.41T 41T

6. In the Dispersion Cost box, enter41T 0.0241T again. 41T 41T

7. In the Collection Cost box, enter41T 0.0241T again. 41T 41T

Analyzing Site Mass Haul for a Simple Site 14

 Step 7. Rerun the mass haul analysis with the roads and sites

8. Click 1TOK11T. The mass haul analysis is created under the 41TEarthworks41T node in the 41TProject
1T 1T 41T 41T 41T

Explorer41T. 41T

The analysis has identified the optimal haul roads from among the ones you added and
replaced the centroid to centroid arrows with the haul roads arrows. Notice where the haul
roads are being used to move material from the borrow pit and cut zones to fill zones or the
waste site.

The circular routes in the other zones imply that they are self-balancing, but if you zoom in, you
will notice small flags that indicate that many zones are unbalanced. Now is when you need to
iterate to correct the balances:
• Adjust tolerances in Project Settings > Computations > Mass Haul.
• Adjust costs on the analysis, haul roads, and the waste site.
• Find and add other borrow pits and waste sites near the site.
The Site Mass Haul Report will also give you details about how volumes are being moved and
where there are imbalances.

Analyzing Site Mass Haul for a Simple Site 15

 Step 8. Run a Site Mass Haul Report

Step 8. Run a Site Mass Haul Report

Complete the mass haul analysis by generating a 41TSite Mass Haul40T41 Report40T to see textual results
41T 40T1 40T

of the analysis, plus an image from the 41TPlan View41T. The report includes volumes and costs
41T 41T

separated into source zones, destination zones, and by haul road.

Because you added haul roads to your mass haul analysis, the reported costs are likely to be
different than the costs for auto-created mass haul roads due to the differences in the lengths
and unit costs of the roads.
1. On the ribbon, select Site Mass Haul > Site Mass Haul Report.
2. Select 41TMass haul plan – with roads and sites41T in the 40TMass haul analysis40T list.
41T 41T 40T 40T

3. In the 41TSnapshot41T list, select Plan View. If needed, filter and arrange the view as you want it to
41T 41T

appear in the report before you click OK.

4. Click 1TOK11T. The S
1T 41T ite 40T1Mass Haul Report40T displays in the 41TReport View41T.
1T 41T 40T1 40T 41T 41T

Analyzing Site Mass Haul for a Simple Site 16

 Step 8. Run a Site Mass Haul Report

5. Review the report:

Mass haul results are presented in three sections. Each section presents the same
information but using different perspectives:
 4 one provisions statistics41T - This lists results by the cut zones. Cut/fill zones are listed in
1TZ
41T 41T

descending order of cost.

 41TZone requirement statistics41T - This lists results by fill zones.
41T 41T

 41TRoute statistics41T: This lists results by haul road.

41T 41T

The color coding is the same as that used in the 41TTakeoff Report41T.
41T 41T

Regardless of the length of the line representing the haul road, the cost of that hauling
includes the average distance from all areas of the cut zone to the beginning of the haul
route and then the average distance from the end of the haul route to all areas of the fill
zone. The shape of the zone affects the location of the start and end of the haul road.

Analyzing Site Mass Haul for a Simple Site 17

 Conclusion

You can also export the report to Microsoft Word, Excel or as an Adobe Acrobat PDF file.

For more information on mass haul analyses, see the notes below, as well as the TBC Site
Mass Haul Computations Overview on the TBC Construction Community.

Conclusion
Congratulations! You have worked through a complete workflow for performing a site mass haul
analysis on a simple site. This completes the tutorial.

Analyzing Site Mass Haul for a Simple Site 18

 Conclusion

Notes on the analysis and the report:

In this example, the site was divided into rectangular zones in order to control the
granularity of the results. As the number of zones goes up, the computation time increases
exponentially, so you should start with fewer than one hundred zones and see how your
project responds as the number increases. Another way to divide the project is to create a
zone around each major cut area and fill area.

The total area of your haul zones should include all of the area of the site, not less and not
more. There is no check to determine if you have undercounted areas or counted some
areas twice. Each of these scenarios will create an analysis that does not properly reflect the
entire site’s condition. Use the Create Surface Edge Breakline command on the isopach
surface and compare area of the edge to the total area of the haul zones. The
Area/Length/Count Report command makes this easy.

Always check your results. Use the Earthwork Report command to compare the total cut
and fill to the properties of the Mass Haul Site Analysis and the Site Mass Haul Report.

Some cost settings will create unanticipated results. The cost to move a unit of volume per ft
or m should be very small. Consider starting with 0.01 until you determine what is valid for
your project. If the cost to import or export material is relatively low, you may find that most
zones are importing or exporting material, rather than balancing on-site materials.

Moving earth within the same zone

When earth is moved within the same zone, the cost is calculated by the average distance
(feet) to the center of mass within the zone multiplied by the default unit cost ($/YD3/foot)
set with the auto-create setting.

Moving earth from zone to zone

When moving from one zone to another, the cost includes the cost to gather and the cost to
disperse, so you double the cost compared to moving within the same zone.
In addition to collecting and dispersing, you calculate the distance from the center of mass
of the first zone to the second and multiply by the Unit Cost.

Importing earth from off-site

The cost to import earth is the given cost per volume plus the cost to disperse into the zone.

Exporting earth off-site

The cost to export earth is the given cost per volume plus the cost to collect from the zone.

Analyzing Site Mass Haul for a Simple Site 19