The Australian Government should support the increased use of high productivity vehicles as a key part of its net zero roadmap for transport, Australian Trucking Association CEO Mathew Munro said today.
Mr Munro was releasing the ATA's response to the Government's Transport and Infrastructure Net Zero Consultation Roadmap.
Mr Munro said that high productivity vehicles could carry more freight per trip, meaning fewer trucks are required to transport the same load.
"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," Mr Munro said.
"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," he said.
Mr Munro said the Government should create a policy environment that facilitated maximum innovation in alternative fuels.
"The evolution pathways for alternative fuel heavy vehicle technologies are unclear," Mr Munro said.
"The Government should remain fuel agnostic and be open to a mixture of alternative fuels and technologies including combustible and hydrogen fuel cell options," he said.
Mr Munro said 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," he said.
