Moving Freight in the Urban Environment Looking Beyond the Dollar National Local Roads

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Moving Freight in the Urban Environment
Looking Beyond the Dollar National Local
Roads Transport Congress 11 July 2006
Stuart St Clair Chief Executive Australian
Trucking Association
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Australian Trucking Association

• Established in 1989
• Peak representative body for trucking in
  Australia-a federation of state and sector
  associations, major logistics companies
• Mission
• To unite and represent a professional and safe
  Australian trucking industry.

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Industry Creates NationalWealth

• We are a vital industry create wealth
  improvement of national standard of living
• We represent around 3.5 of the GDP of this
  country (about 30b)
• Over 180,000 employees in the hire and reward
  business of transport over 49,000 transport
  operators
• Trucking industry of world standard

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ATA Local Government

• Joined ATA as CEO in March 06
• Councillor for 12 years- 8 as Mayor
• Personal understanding of the importance
• of the relationship between ATA and ALGA,
• who are partners (with AAA College of
• Road Safety) in the SaferRoads Project

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Trucking Pays Its Way

• Important to recognise that trucking pays its way
• Trucking pays 1.8b for roads towards
  construction and maintenance expenses of just
  1.62b
• All Australian Transport Ministers recently
  rejected National Transport Commissions
  recommendations for diesel excise and
  registration increases in 3rd HV Charges
  Determination

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Council of Australian Governments (COAG)

• COAG( including ALGA President) agreed at
• its meeting last February
• -Harmonise reform rail and road regulation
  
• within five years
• -Strengthen and coordinate transport
  planning
• and project appraisal processes
• -Reduce current and projected urban
  transport
• congestion.. informed by review..
  options for
• managing congestion focusing on national
• freight corridors

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Truckings Challenge

• COAG also initiated Productivity Commission
  Inquiry into Road and Rail Infrastructure Pricing
• ATA welcomed COAG initiatives
• ATAs Productivity Commission Submission the
  further you drive, the more tax you pay, and the
  heavier the load the more tax you pay

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Major Freight Task

• Major challenge for the trucking industry
  Government forecasts Australias freight task
  will double between 2000 2020
• ..forecasts suggest that most of the growth
  will be on road, despite some shifts to rail for
  port shuttles Source Twice the Task NTC 2006
• Report states that doing nothing will
• lead to increased road/rail congestion

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Road Freight Growth

• Currently estimates are that only 9-15 of non
  bulk freight is contestable between road and
  rail
• In Australia, there are 810,000 kms of roads
  about 44,000 kms of rail
• Emphasise that we are not anti rail- but it
  should be assisted independently of road
• We do not want increased taxes and charges on
  road freight operators to make rail more
  competitive

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Local Government Roads Transport Draft Strategy

• Agree with thrust of strategy, but reiterate
• trucks do pay their way
• Note strategy acknowledges need to protect
• freight corridors and supports more
• productive vehicles
• We would support local government with
• increased funding under Roads to Recovery
• and other programs such as AusLink
• Strategic Regional Program

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Trucks

• Trucks are increasingly needed
• Emissions noise standards of trucks have
  greatly improved with
• ADRs eg 80/01 80/02
• Suspension improvements led to noise reduction
• Productivity improved with B-doubles 30-40
  increase

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Safety

• Trucks are not involved in 90 of fatal
• accidents. Where trucks are involved, two
• thirds are not responsible
• Australian Transport Safety Bureau
• 2000-2005 reduction of 22 in fatal
• crashes involving articulated trucks
• NTC study ( 2006) noted 74 of drivers
• surveyed felt no pressure to speed
• company policies were an effective
• compliance measure
• Safe-T-Cam in SA 99 compliance for
• trucks over 8 months

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Consultation re Freight Task

• Modern consumers demand an
• increasing range of products quickly
• Trucking industry plays vital role in
• economic lives of communities
• Need discussions with ALGA,
• through it local councils to manage improve
  urban road freight
• Reiterate ATA would support Councils
• obtaining AusLink funds

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Challenges

• -Raptour Report 2005 (Prof Kim Hassall)
• highlights that heavy vehicles are regulated
• but not LCVs and 4WDs now 2m which
• strangle the fluidity of our freight passenger
  
• arteries
• -Need harmonised regulation. In global
• economy still have differences in Australia
• eg NSW OHS fatigue regulations
• -Also need sensible regulation eg some fatigue
• regulations can increase congestion by
• forcing driving in peak hours

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Productivity Gains

• Performance Based Standards (PBS)
• Focuses on vehicle behaviour rather
• than prescription for vehicle standards
• - NTC Steering Committee
• - ATAs position
• Higher Mass Limits (HML)
• - Essential for industry-AusLink
• - In NSW crucial role for Councils in
• permitting travel 100k from routes

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Productivity Gains

• Industry uses cutting edge technology
• for vehicles such as GPS- a
  productivity/management tool can be
• utilised for tracking of loads etc
• Intermodal terminals
• Important for logistics providers
• Rail could be used at ports
• Enhanced distribution systems- may
• reduce trip numbers

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Productivity Gains

• Also for meeting community
• expectations
• -dedicated freight lanes
• justified by freight volumes
• -lane sharing utilised with
• bus taxi lanes
• -freight traffic preference periods
• avoid peak times

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Conclusions

• Appreciate being invited to be here today
• Essential that ALGA and ATA have a close working
  relationship as sector representatives
• With co-operation understanding between local
  government and the trucking industry, the ever
  increasing road freight task can be
  managed to deliver better outcomes for
  communities

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Australian Trucking Association
Thank you