What the outlook says
NOAA's Climate Prediction Center expects El Niño to shape this winter, and its precipitation outlook leans wet across the southern U.S. (NOAA, October 15, 2026). FOX10 News in Mobile, Alabama called a wetter-than-normal winter the strongest signal for the central Gulf Coast, with an active storm track bringing repeated rounds of rain (FOX10, October 19, 2026). An outlook is a probability, not a forecast for a given week, so plan for the wet case and treat a dry stretch as schedule margin.
1. Walk the site after a rain
Soft spots, standing water and drainage paths show up after a storm, not on a dry walk. Mark them on the site plan. Those areas need mats first and often need a second layer.
2. Size each area on its own
Count mats separately for the access road, laydown yard, crane pads and equipment staging, then total them. Counting by area keeps turnarounds and the approach to each pad in the count. Add a contingency count for soft spots found after work starts.
3. Count trucks along with mats
Every load that arrives crosses the ground you are trying to protect. Mat weight sets how many mats ride on each truck, so it sets how many loads cross the site. For a 500-mat order:
| Mat | HDPE per truck | Timber per truck | HDPE loads | Timber loads | Fewer loads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3-ply 8' × 14' | 35 | 20 | 15 | 25 | 10 |
| 3-ply 8' × 16' | 28 | 18 | 18 | 28 | 10 |
| Digging 4' × 16' | 29 | 18 | 18 | 28 | 10 |
| Digging 4' × 18' | 24 | 18 | 21 | 28 | 7 |
GroundUp shipping figures for recycled HDPE and mixed-hardwood timber of the same size. Loads round up to whole trucks.
An 8' × 14' recycled HDPE mat weighs about 1,360 lb; the mixed-hardwood equivalent weighs about 2,400 lb. Recycled HDPE also does not absorb water, so a wet mat weighs what a dry one does.
4. Stage mats before the front arrives
A delivery scheduled after the access road ruts has to cross those ruts. Land the first loads on the road itself, build it out from the entrance, and stage the pad mats while the ground still carries a loaded truck.
5. Plan the exit
If the ground is wet at mobilization, plan for it to be wet at demobilization too. Leave the access road in place until the last pad mats are out, and count the outbound loads in the schedule the same way you counted the inbound ones.
The Mat Planner lays out each area on a site plan and totals the mats and trucks. Send the layout with a quote request and we will price the order and delivery.
Questions
Does NOAA expect a wet winter in 2026-27?
NOAA's Winter Outlook, released October 15, 2026, favors wetter-than-average conditions from December through February across the southern U.S., with El Niño expected to shape the season.
How many recycled HDPE mats fit on a truck?
By GroundUp's shipping figures: 35 of the 8' x 14' 3-ply mats, 28 of the 8' x 16', 29 of the 4' x 16' digging mats and 24 of the 4' x 18'. The same timber sizes ship 20, 18, 18 and 18 to a truck.
Do recycled HDPE mats get heavier when wet?
No. Recycled HDPE does not absorb water, so a wet mat weighs what a dry one does. Timber takes on water as it soaks.
