ATN #418

NEWS
Inside the Industry
strict
VICTORIA EXPANDING HPFV NETWORK
Melissa Horn
“This is a win for farmers,
businesses, freight
operators and the
community by reducing
freight costs and
encouraging investment
in safer trucks"
The Victorian government is
expanding the state’s High
Productivity Freight Vehicle
(HPFV) network.
Around 3,000km of road have
been added to the pre-approved
HPFV network.
The state government spruiked
the move as reducing costs and
saving farmers and businesses
time by eliminating the need for
individual route assessments.
"This is a win for farmers,
businesses, freight operators
and the community by reducing
freight costs and encouraging
investment in safer, cleaner
and more efficient trucks," ports
and freight minister Melissa
Horne said.
"Improving access for High
Productivity Freight Vehicles
is vital to meeting the state’s
growing freight industry needs
as efficiently as possible while
minimising the number of trucks
trips on our road network."
The new networks will be
published online and include key
freight routes along the Bass
Highway, Murray Valley Highway,
Wimmera Highway and Ballarat-Maryborough
Road.
A-doubles that meet the HPFV
specifications, which include
safety and emissions
requirements, will have improved
access on these routes.
In addition, the government is
also issuing six new A-double
tanker networks to help improve
the transportation of milk and
other liquids across the state.
These routes have been
developed with industry and
tailored specifically to A-double
tankers, which have different
specifications and requirements to
other A-doubles on the network.
"These upgrades will deliver
stronger, safer and more reliable
roads for the freight industry –
meaning farmers and suppliers
will be able to get their goods to
market much more efficiently,"
roads minister Ben Carroll said.
"Improving the network will take
trucks off local roads – backing
local jobs and making our country
roads safer."
The government emphasises
that expansion of the HPFV
network only includes roads
in regional Victoria and any
trucks coming into metropolitan
Melbourne will need to abide by
existing curfews.
Truck curfews are enforced
in areas including Melbourne’s
inner west.
Work to start on Western Australia's rest-area upgrade program
About $14 million of major upgrades to 14
heavy vehicle rest areas across regional
Western Australia will soon be underway,
the state's transport minister, Rita Saffioti,
has announced.
The locations for the first phase of
the program were determined through
extensive consultation with industry
groups including the Transport Workers
Union (TWU) WA, Livestock and Rural
Transport Association of WA (LRTAWA)
and Western Roads Federation (WRF),
Saffioti said.
Industry priorities comprised major
upgrades at Newman, Auski, Karijini and
Leonora, and improvements at 10 key heavy
vehicles sites in the Pilbara, Mid-West
Gascoyne, Wheatbelt, Goldfields-Esperance
and South-West regions.
The state and Commonwealth governments
have committed $50 million under the Freight
Vehicle Productivity Improvements Program
(FVPIP) for improvements across the state
road network.
"Freight drivers provide an essential
service and it's important we have the
necessary amenities and facilities available
that these drivers need," Saffioti said.
"We've worked with the transport
industry to finalise 14 high priority
locations across regional WA that
will receive $14 million of urgent
upgrades with works to commence
shortly.
"I'd like to thank the Commonwealth
for their financial contribution and the
transport industry for all their work on
the program."
The 2022–23 program, which has
an allocation of $36 million, will also
be developed through consultation
with industry.
20 ATN July 2021 FULLYLOADED.COM.AU