Australia - Monster truck menace

Road train...secret plan to allow monster freight carriers on more NSW roads. / The Daily Telegraph



By Heath Aston

June 29, 2007 12:00am

MASSIVE triple trailer road trains would be allowed to mix with cars on the state's busiest roads under plans being secretly pushed to the Howard Government by the trucking industry.

The prospect of freight monsters up to 36m {118 feet} long on NSW highways has shocked road safety campaigners, who yesterday branded the idea as "totally outrageous".

Federal Transport Minister Mark Vaile is currently considering a proposal to bypass NSW laws that restrict "B-triples" to a handful of outback highways.

In a confidential letter passed to The Daily Telegraph, Australian Trucking Association chief executive Stuart St Clair described NSW as the "stagnant backwater" of the nation's road transport network.

He urged Mr Vaile to strengthen the Federal Interstate Registration Scheme (FIRS) to allow trucking companies to use longer, heavier trucks on common routes through NSW.

"Whereas states such as Victoria have embraced HML (higher mass limits) on 98 per cent of their roads, NSW remains the stagnant backwater for road transport," he wrote.

Mr St Clair said business in NSW was losing out due to higher transport costs, warning the Iemma Government's "clear intention" was to raise charges for higher weight limits.

His remarks met with an angry response from the NSW Government, which said a federal takeover would compromise road safety.

NSW Roads Minister Eric Roozendaal said Mr Vaile should ignore the advice of Mr St Clair.

"It's a worry when a lobby group is more concerned with profit than safety – the ATA is out of touch," he said.

RTA research has found trucks operating under the FIRS scheme are 44 per cent more likely to be in breach of road law than all other heavy vehicles.

Crashes involving FIRS-registered articulated vehicles on NSW highways and freeways are about 30 per cent more likely to involve a fatality in crashes than RTA registered ones.

Despite that, Mr Vaile remains enthusiastic about FIRS and a proposed nationwide B-triple network.

"Australia's freight task is expected to nearly double between 2000 and 2020," a spokeswoman said.

"It is not realistic to expect that the increase will be able to be carried on rail . . . we need to join the Premiers in considering expanding dedicated routes for smart, modular vehicles that allow more freight to be carried more safely with less wear and tear on our roads."

Source:

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21983825-5006009,00.html