The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) has made a submission calling on the federal government to support higher productivity heavy vehicles in response to its Transport and Infrastructure Net Zero Consultation Roadmap.

ATA CEO Mathew Munro says that higher productivity vehicles will equate to more freight per trip, taking trucks, and emissions, off Australian roads.

“For example, a fleet of 36.5 metre A-doubles would use 72 per cent of the fuel and only need half the number of trips to move the same payload compared to a semitrailer fleet,” Munro says.

“These fewer trips would produce lower carbon emissions, supporting the government’s environmental targets, and operating fewer trucks would result in less wear on infrastructure.

“Supporting high productivity vehicles would be an immediate step that would deliver immediate benefits, with other options requiring the turnover of the existing diesel truck fleet, new infrastructure or production facilities, or the further development of technology.”

Munro says the government should create a policy environment that will facilitate maximum innovation in alternative fuels.

“The evolution pathways for alternative fuel heavy vehicle technologies are unclear,” he says.

“The government should remain fuel agnostic and be open to a mixture of alternative fuels and technologies including combustible and hydrogen fuel cell options.”

Munro says the government should encourage alternative fuels like renewable diesel.

“Alternative fuels offer significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil fuels. Renewable diesel, produced from renewable feedstocks such as oilseed crops, can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 63 to 77 per cent compared to petroleum diesel.”