New South Wales has made the entire length of the Newell Highway accessible to roadtrain operators.
The announcement made this week is expected to allow road transport companies to unlock big efficiency gains for the movement of freight from border to border.
Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole said providing end-to-end access for all eligible vehicles up to 36.5m long and Performance Based Standards (PBS) Level 3 vehicles on the Newell was a huge win for the freight industry.
“This is a game changer for people moving product along one of our State’s most important freight corridors,” said Toole.
“We trialled this expanded roadtrain access through the drought and again through last year’s bumper grain harvest and we know it provides significant productivity and safety gains, potentially reducing truck movements by as much as 40 per cent.”
Toole said gazetted access would now be available to all eligible vehicles up to 36.5 metres long along more than 1000 kilometres of highway including through Parkes, irrespective of the cargo carried.
“Parkes was the last section of the Newell where roadtrains were restricted but the trials we did with roadtrains to move fodder through drought and last year’s harvest has guided this change,” said Toole.
“By granting roadtrains permanent access to the last remaining section of the highway without the need for a permit, it will improve the efficiency, sustainability and safety of freight transport in the region which is developing into an important freight hub,” the Minister said.
“As we know, these higher productivity vehicles are able move as much as 63 per cent more freight per trip than a 26m B-Double heavy vehicle, which means less trucks on our road, greater efficiency and reduced costs.”
NatRoad CEO Warren Clark congratulated the NSW Government for taking this important step for operators of Higher Productivity Vehicles.
“Initiatives that improve access for HPVs and make the freight task more efficient and safer are always welcome,” he said.