Pacific National boss and Freight on Rail Group of Australia chair Dean Dalla Valle has reiterated the need for governments to bridge the policy divide between road and rail freight, after the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported a rise in road volumes in FY18.
The ABS’s latest motor vehicle usage survey estimates 214,789 million tonne-kilometres of road freight movements took place in Australia in FY18, up 5 per cent since FY16, the last year surveyed.
77 per cent of tonne kilometres were handled by articulated trucks, 19 per cent by rigid trucks, and 4 per cent by light commercial vehicles.
28 per cent of total kilometres driven on Australian roads in FY18 were by freight vehicles.
30 per cent of road freight was crude materials like stone, sand and gravel. Manufactured goods made up 12 per cent of freight movements, while food and live animals represented another 11 per cent.
Victoria had the highest volume of freight moved by road, followed by Queensland, then New South Wales, and Western Australia.
Dalla Valle said the figures were more evidence of the need for reforms to help get more freight on rail, a result which would be better for the nation.
“There is a rapidly growing policy divide between road and rail freight,” Dalla Valle said.
“As rail freight operators, all we ask for from government is a level policy playing field – give us a chance to compete on equal policy terms.”
Dalla Valle questioned the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s recent unveiling of a review into fatigue laws, following pressure from the trucking industry. He also highlighted a recent push by the NatRoad trucking lobby for an increase to the maximum width allowed for heavy road vehicles to be increased another 5 centimetres.
“You have to tip your hat to the trucking sector,” he said.
“Don’t get me wrong – [truck operators] have every right to fight for greater productivity and efficiency in their sector.”
But, he continued, “if allowed to continue, this unrelenting push for relaxation of rules in the heavy vehicle sector will merely result in more freight volumes shifting from trains to trucks”.
“Government agencies seem to be falling over themselves to appease the trucking sector’s every whim. Bizarrely, this is happening at a time when Australians want to see more real trains and less road trains hauling goods and commodities.”