Among the costs of the whole cane sugar and ethanol production system, the activities covered by harvesting (manual and mechanical), road transportation and cane unloading are the most expensive category of operations. A comprehensive study of the cane transport system, which covers topics from system logistics to cane bin design, is being undertaken for the Colombian sugar industry. Models for predicting fuel consumption have been developed and tested using techniques such as GPS (Global Positioning System), pull load and direct fuel flow measurements for the complete operational cycles. Sensitivity trials have also been performed to analyze the influence of bin mass on fuel consumption in the complete cycle and FEA (Finite Element Analysis) modeling has been applied to the design and construction of new equipment. Results show that reductions of 5% of fuel costs are achieved with the 10% structural mass reduction achieved.