The Australian Government’s National Land Freight Strategy will boost productivity and safety on the roads, the Chief Executive of the Australian Trucking Association, Stuart St Clair, said today.

The Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Anthony Albanese, released the strategy today. The strategy calls for trialling the use of high productivity vehicles like B-triples and super B-doubles on key freight routes such as the Hume Highway.

A B-triple is a prime mover with three trailers linked by turntables. Two B-triples can do the work of more than four standard semitrailers. A super B-double consists of a prime mover and two trailers that can carry more cubic freight – such as lightweight paper products – than a conventional B-double.

Mr St Clair said increasing the use of high productivity vehicles would enable the trucking industry to use freight routes more efficiently and reduce the need for new infrastructure.

He said it would also boost safety, because reducing the growth in the number of trucks and other vehicles on the road would result in fewer accidents.

“It takes 42 semitrailers to deliver a thousand tonnes of freight, but only 20 B-triples. The chance of an accident is influenced by the number of vehicles on the road, so when you reduce the number of vehicles you need to do the job, you reduce the accident risk,” Mr St Clair said.

“In addition, the prime movers used in high productivity vehicles like B-triples and super B-doubles are new and equipped with the latest safety features, such as adaptive cruise control and lane assist technology to alert the driver if the truck drifts from the centre of its lane.

“And finally, their drivers are licensed to a higher standard than semitrailer and rigid truck drivers.”

Mr St Clair said increasing the use of high productivity vehicles would also deliver environmental gains.

 “If we take the example of moving a thousand tonnes of freight again, by using 20 B-triples you would emit 32 per cent less carbon dioxide than the 42 semitrailers you would otherwise need,” he said.

 “The Government’s strategy is a win for productivity, a win for safety – and a win for the environment as well,” he said.