Australia’s climate change policies should include a focus on boosting truck productivity as a cost effective opportunity to reduce emissions from heavy vehicles. This should include increasing width and length requirements, a whole of government approach to reducing barriers to increased use of high productivity freight vehicles, and for improving road access.

Increased heavy vehicle productivity can optimise the energy and fuel use of the entire freight system by reducing the number of trips required to move the freight task.

It is also important that vehicles receive regular maintenance, which is key to ensuring that vehicles continue to meet emission standards.

The review acknowledges that the transport sector was responsible for 18 per cent of Australia’s emissions in 2015, with over three quarters attributable to cars and light commercial vehicles.