OPENING more roads to longer trucks which can transport more stock with less fuel should be considered as a key diesel saving measure during the current fuel squeeze, Australia’s peak livestock transport body believes.

The Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association (ALRTA) has joined with the Australian Trucking Association in calling for a coordinated national approach to issue temporary notices allowing longer truck configurations on more roads.

ALRTA chief executive Anthony Boyle said enabling higher productivity vehicles would allow operators to move more livestock using less fuel at a time when input costs are under acute pressure.

ALRTA CEO Anthony Boyle

Mr Boyle nominated several areas where the temporary allowance of longer freight configurations could unlock significant efficiency gains.

In Central Queensland, road trains are currently restricted from travelling through Rockhampton during daylight hours, which requires transporters to decouple at Gracemere and shuttle multiple loads across the city in smaller configurations.

Allowing road trains to transit during the day would enable direct access to processing facilities and remove the need for double-handling of cattle.

Similarly, improving access from Toowoomba into south-east Queensland processing plants was another classic example, he said, where longer combinations could operate more efficiently.

In southern New South Wales, Mr Boyle highlighted the example of AMG’s newly developed processing facility at Cootamundra, which sits just seven kilometres beyond the end of an approved road train route. “We want to get that last 7km opened up,” he said.

Wagga Wagga is a major cattle supply hub for Victorian processors, but to connect with the Victorian road train network, trucks have to detour west to Narrandera and enter Victoria at Finley. Opening the Olympic Highway from Wagga to Albury to longer trucks would provide a more direct and efficient corridor.

Mr Boyle also pointed to opportunities along the Hume corridor, including improved access for higher productivity vehicles into facilities such as Southern Meats at Goulburn and the Yass saleyards.

Improving access to numerous facilities in Gippsland would also improve efficiency, while in South Australia, enabling triple road trains from the Northern Territory to continue through to Dublin Saleyards near Adelaide, without having to break up at Port Augusta, was another example.

“That would solve a lot of cross loading and splitting up there,” Mr Boyle said.

“There’s plenty of scenarios where we could increase capacity to get into processing.”

Substantial productivity gains

Mr Boyle said the productivity gains from moving to longer combinations were substantial.

A standard 26-metre B-double carrying slaughter cattle typically moves about 60 head, while a B-triple or Type 2 road train at 36-metres can lift that to 80 head.

Moving from a 26-metre to 36-metre combination effectively added another deck of cattle per trip.

“You put 10 trucks on the road carting an extra deck each, that is 10 decks. It adds up pretty quick,” he said.

Victorian experience proves longer vehicles operating safely

Despite community concerns about larger vehicles, Mr Boyle said the industry had already demonstrated it could operate higher productivity vehicles safely.

He pointed to Victoria’s High Productivity Livestock Vehicle Scheme, which expanded allowable lengths from 26 metres to 36 metres, as evidence the sector was already meeting necessary safety standards.

“We as an industry have already proven we’re aware of the safety requirements to increase productivity and we’re meeting that.”

The primary obstacle to freeing up road use was in having to deal with multiple road authorities.

While major roads were governed by Federal and State transport departments, many secondary and connecting roads were managed by local councils, which meant many different mindsets in dealing with issues.

The ALRTA and ATA are calling for all levels of government to work together on a coordinated framework to streamline approvals and temporarily expand access for higher productivity vehicles during the current fuel crisis.

NSW backs longer vehicles

Proving that coordinated approaches can be achieved, the NSW Government yesterday announced the introduction of temporary restrictions on longer vehicles for some freight tasks under the recently launched National Fuel Security Plan.

In line with Level 2 of the Plan – Keeping Australia Moving – the NSW measures announced by Premier Chris Minns yesterday increase access to the road network for larger trucks that can carry more goods in a single trip, and ease restrictions on operating hours.

“This will help move more goods with fewer trips and less fuel, keeping vital supply routes running across NSW, especially to regional communities,” Mr Minns said.

New measures include adjusting load limits to freight to allow for bigger and longer freight to travel on our road network, and where applicable to allow more freight to travel, load and unload at night, while providing for flexibility for hours of operation and curfews.

“These longer trucks will use at least 18 per cent less diesel per ton of payload and can carry 33 per cent more additional freight.

“These temporary measures will ensure freight can continue to move safely and efficiently, keeping essential goods flowing to communities and businesses across NSW.”