Transport for NSW is currently seeking feedback on the draft NSW Heavy Vehicle Access Policy in order to be able to respond to the current needs of the transport industry in the state.
The need for access to both the state’s freight network, and Australia’s freight network as a whole, has only continued to grow since the initial policy, released in 2018.
That saw increased access for trucks as big as AB triples on the Newell Highway, the major freight route which covers a network between NSW’s Victorian and Queensland borders entirely.
Transport for NSW executive director of freight Scott Greenow spoke to Owner Driver about what the government body expects to hear from the industry when the survey closes at the end of May.
“I think we’ll get a fair bit of feedback from industry and asset owners: local councils and other industry stakeholders. We’re pretty keen to hear what everyone has to say,” Greenow says.
“From an industry kind of lens, one of the benefits of the draft Heavy Vehicle Access Policy was that it was formed through some fairly detailed consultation, admittedly a little while ago, in late 2022.
“It was detailed engagement with industry through workshops. That basis was really powerful for us to understand what it looks like from an industry point of view.
“In 2018 we released the last policy framework, and by 2022 we had pretty much delivered on all the elements in there. It really highlighted to us the vision needed far further into the future.
“We needed to look at how close we could get to ideal for what we could see and what industry considers ideal.”
Since the initial access policy, there have been significant advancements in a number of areas of the transport industry, including PBS standards, developments in data sharing and telematics and significant roads projects.
With more and more roads across NSW and the country getting sealed and upgraded, trucks have greater access to the road network than ever.
Greenow says it is TFNSW’s job to ensure drivers in the state are traversing the network as safely as possible.
“There’s a requirement and expectation from everybody that we continually improve the safety of the freight task,” he say.
“There’s commitments broadly about reducing the environmental impact. From a productivity point of view everybody knows the cost of living pressure is an economic driver.
“We want to make sure industry in NSW and more broadly are as competitive as possible. All of those things came together to say how do we do this, what does good look like and how do we make sure we consider a systems approach?”
Also to be considered in the access policy feedback is how road connects to rail, and what both networks can cover.
Greenow says drivers and operators shouldn’t be too concerned about rail taking too much freight off the road and hurting the trucking industry, as the rail network still can’t cover what roads can.
“Often people talk about road and rail, and whether either is good or bad. Both of them need each other,” he says.
“We do not have the ability to do the entire freight task on road. We struggle to do it today, let alone if there was no rail. Equally if we only had rail, we wouldn’t be able to deliver the freight task. Rail lines simply don’t service enough locations.
“It was really understanding how these modes work best together, and how to make sure we utilise the network to its maximum capability. We can’t exceed that capability, but we need to deliver a safer and sustainable, most productive outcomes for both road and rail.
“How does the Heavy Vehicle Access Policy try and achieve that? We went through all of that with the road freight industry at the time. Quite impressively, they were very cognisant of the need for rail to work alongside road.”
After last September saw the increase of truck widths from 2.5 to 2.55m, there has now been a renewed push to increase truck height and mass limits.
Along with the gradual increase of electric and other fuel cell trucks on the road, heavy vehicles with greater mass are going to need to be approved to travel on Australian roads.
This is another area that Greenow expects the access policy will need to consider.
“If there’s any growth in length, width, height or mass industry can speak at length to the challenges that vehicles have for access today. I certainly think that will be raised,” he says.
“If it’s a problem today, and we’re trying to improve tomorrow, then that will be an even bigger challenge for them.
“The innovative vehicles principle will finally give industry, asset owners, road managers and the community the opportunity to partner with each other.
“For the first time industry would be able to elect a better designed vehicle that is able to transport more freight with less fuel, less drivers, less equipment. Using better vehicles that don’t require the community to endure a poorer performing vehicle means everybody wins.”
TFNSW expects at least a few months to publish the results of the feedback that will be received from the survey.