A recent gathering of global transport and technology leaders in Dallas, Texas, has learned about Australia’s contribution towards the furthering of global standards for telematics and Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS).
During his address at the sixth International Conference for Weigh-in-Motion, Chris Koniditsiotis, chief executive of Transport Certification Australia (TCA), said “Australia is geographically distant from the United States but we share many of the same transport challenges, particularly when it comes to managing a rapidly growing road freight task in the face of tightening budgets and challenging environmental goals.”
Upon his return to Australia, Koniditsiotis said delegates were particularly interested to learn about how the TCA National Telematics Framework™ is enabling standardised delivery of telematics programs through a single in-vehicle unit (IVU), integrating OBM (on-board mass) functionality.
“TCA is working to achieve a single national standard for interoperability between existing IVUs and OBM systems. This will allow vehicles enrolled in the Intelligent Access Program (IAP®) to interface with any TCA Type-Approved™ OBM system in order to meet a pre-condition set by road agencies for provision of enhanced access to the road network.
“There is a growing international realisation that higher productivity freight vehicles are a critical component to lifting efficiency and sustainability of transport networks,” he added. “Delegates, including US primary producers, were particularly interested to hear how IAP and OBM are providing Australian regulators with assurance that higher productivity freight vehicles are complying with access conditions for route and mass.
“On the strategically important Toowoomba to Port of Brisbane freight corridor in Queensland, the assurance provided through the combination of IAP and OBM has provided road asset managers with confidence to open access for higher productivity freight vehicles carrying two 40 foot containers at up to 78 tonnes gross vehicle mass (GVM). Outcomes have included substantial productivity gains, especially for primary producers, who are now able to transport a second container of grain to port per trip.
“The message we are hearing from local government and state regulators is that it is the assurance delivered through telematics that has provided them with the confidence required to open up road network access for a larger and more efficient generation of freight vehicles. Without OBM, access for vehicles at 78 tonnes GVM on the Toowoomba to Port of Brisbane corridor would not have been provided.”
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