Wider trucks permitted in safety boost

FEDERAL assistant minister for infrastructure and transport Carol Brown has announced a landmark decision to increase the overall width limit for trucks as part of the Safer Freight Vehicles package.

The government predicts the width limit increase, which will permit local use of wider electric and hydrogen truck models and potentially reduce the total number of trips, will provide a benefit of more than $500 million to the Australian economy.

“This Safer Freight Vehicles package responds to direct calls from industry to increase the width limit of trucks and follows extensive public consultation and feedback,” Ms Brown said. 

“These changes will be a real game changer for industry, businesses and other road users, as they will save lives by adopting technology to reduce the likelihood of crashes, while also lowering freight costs and supporting better environmental outcomes.”

More importantly, though, the width increase allows trucks to be fitted with safety features like side guards, which prevent pedestrians and cyclists from being caught under the wheels of a truck.

Another key announcement is that safety devices around the truck, such as front- and kerb-view mirrors, camera monitoring systems, blind-spot sensors and cross-view mirrors, will not be counted towards width and length limits.

While the width limit for buses and trailers remains unchanged, both will also benefit from additional safety devices being excluded from total width and length measurements.

Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA) welcomed the announcement, calling it a huge step forward for the industry and its members. 

“HVIA has listened to its members and advocated tirelessly for this change,” said HVIA chief executive Todd Hacking.

“Removing unnecessary roadblocks and impediments to truck safety and productivity underpins what we do, and we thank Minister Brown’s office for recognising the importance of this reform.”

HVIA chief technical officer Adam Ritzinger has been a vocal advocate for width limit changes, standing behind the safety case for increasing them.

“Safety features such as advanced emergency braking and lane departure warning systems will save lives on our roads,” he said.

“Similarly, technologies that improve a truck driver’s field of vision will improve interactions with all road users but will be particularly beneficial for cyclists and pedestrians.”

The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) explains that the width limit changes will reduce costs associated with redesigning European trucks for use on Australian roads. 

“We know that future design changes will be increasingly difficult or not economical to adapt to Australia’s narrower truck width and relatively small market. This will include battery electric or hydrogen fuel cell trucks,” said ATA chair David Smith.

“The government’s decision means there will be more options for operators, more zero tailpipe emission models and more competition for our capital investment dollars.”

Volvo Group Australia vice president of emerging technologies Paul Illmer said the change was  an important step on our journey towards safer, cleaner transport solutions”.

“We applaud the hard work undertaken by industry bodies to ensure that Australians can enjoy the same advancements in safety and emissions standards as many other advanced markets around the world,” he said.

“We hope to see momentum continue in other areas such as axle mass loadings to accelerate uptake in zero emissions vehicles here in Australia and assist the federal government in achieving its net zero goals.”

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR), which has long called for the harmonisation of Australian vehicle standards with thsoe of Europe, says the change will ensure safer truck models Down Under.

“These changes will allow manufacturers to bring their latest designs, fitted with a full suite of safety and environmental technologies, to market in Australia,” said NHVR chief executive Sal Petroccitto.

“Several years ago, the NHVR identified current width limits as a barrier to the take up of safety technologies in our Vehicle Safety and Environmental Technology Uptake Plan (Vehicle SETUP).

“We have been working with the Commonwealth, our partners and industry to explore how we can enact change to align with international standards and promote the highest possible level of safety.

“The changes introduced by the Safer Freight Vehicles package will ensure the safest vehicles are available in Australia – helping to keep drivers, pedestrians and all road users safe.”

Also welcoming the change was the Electric Vehicle Council, which chief executive Behyad Jafari described as “vital if we want to increase the supply of electric trucks on our roads”.

“Being out of step with international regulation has restricted the supply of electric trucks into Australia. Aligning these standards will make it simpler and cheaper for Australian operators to access electric trucks, while also improving productivity, freight efficiency and safety.”