Optimising freight vehicle productivity
Last kilometre freight conjures an image for many people of a small white van delivering express overnight packages to a business or milk to a café.
These small delivery vehicles are an important part of the freight network but just as important are the larger rigid trucks and articulated combinations, such as semi-trailers, that deliver goods to supermarkets, hardware stores and other large retailers.
Using the appropriate sized vehicle for the freight task improves the productivity of the freight task. This efficiency can also drastically reduce the number of vehicles on the road. For example:
- One heavy rigid truck can replaces at least six smaller light commercial vehicles.
- One standard semi-trailer can do the job of 16 smaller two-tonne payload delivery trucks.
- One B-double truck can take 21 small trucks off the road.
- One heavy rigid truck replaces at least 6 smaller light commercial vehicles.
- One 1500-metre train can replace 100 B-doubles.
High Productivity Freight Vehicles (HPFVs)
The Victorian Government has committed to introducing more efficient heavy vehicles, such as HPFVs. These combinations operate on approved routes, including the Principal Freight Network, and address the growing freight task in Victoria.
Currently, the most efficient HPFVs in Victoria are up to 30 metres long and have a gross weight of 77.5 tonnes.
Characteristics of HPFVs:
- capacity to transport two 40-foot containers subject to axle load restrictions (compared to a conventional B-double which can only transport one 40-foot container
- can reduce the number of vehicles on Victoria’s roads for a given freight task
- their extra gross weight of 9.0 tonnes over a B-double operating at Higher Mass Limits makes them an efficient and productive vehicle for transporting commodities such as mineral sands and woodchips where rail is not an option.
HPFV Trial
Victoria has started a trial of HPFVs between the Port of Melbourne and the west and north of Melbourne and also in the Green Triangle where the focus is on the movement of woodchips and mineral sands to the Port of Portland.
HPFVs and Performance-Based Standards
HPFV are generally approved for use under nationally agreed Performance-Based Standards (PBS). This means that their design approval process has moved away from prescriptive dimension-and-weight-based regulations to focus upon how the vehicle behaves on the road or a particular route, rather than what it looks like. The Victorian Government has committed to Performance-Based Standards.
Such vehicles are best used in circumstances where multiple goods can be consolidated into a single delivery, and so often suit larger freight tasks. However, because they can increase wear on roads and are not as manoeuvrable as other vehicles local councils often place restrictions on them or require permits for access.
Further information is available from the relevant local council.
Metropolitian Intermodal System (MIS)
Through the MIS, the Department of Transport is investigating options to develop a short shuttle operation between the port and suburban intermodal terminals located in Melbourne's industrial hubs. The MIS has the potential to increase rail's share of the overall Victorian freight task.