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Intelligent Access: Managing the growing freight task
Friday, 21 April 2006
Intelligent Access was a hot topic at the recent Australian Trucking Association National Trucking Convention due to its relevance in Performance Based Standards and the new Higher Mass Limits networks for New South Wales and Queensland.
“Intelligent Access can provide enhanced access to the road network for high productivity vehicles,” Transport Certification Australia Chairman Steve Golding told the Convention. “It can do so because it monitors heavy vehicles to ensure they are complying with operating conditions, that they are operating how, where and when they should.”
Transport Certification Australia (TCA) is the public company set up by state and national governments to develop and implement the Intelligent Access Program (IAP).
TCA is effectively a wholesaler of IAP and one of its main tasks is to certify and audit IAP Service Providers. Those providers offer IAP services to truck operators on a commercial, competitive basis.
If TCA is the wholesaler of Intelligent Access, the road authorities are the retailers. The authorities control access conditions for the road network and so it is up to them to negotiate specific IAP agreements with transport operators.
Those agreements can allow bigger, heavier and/or more productive vehicles onto suitable parts of the road networks because road authorities know weak bridges and roads are protected.
“It is up to the operator to make a commercial decision about the costs and benefits of IAP in each instance,” Mr Golding explained. “IAP may suit some transport operators but not others.”
He urged truck operators to also consider the additional fleet management benefits possible with on-board vehicle monitoring equipment that will be offered by IAP Service Providers. Road authorities will only have access to location, speed and time exception reports, even if much more information is recorded.
State and Federal Governments will contribute $5.8 million in funding over four years to significantly reduce IAP entry costs for transport operators and service providers and accelerate growth of the new scheme. The subsidy will run out in 2010 when 8500 vehicles are expected to be enrolled.
Mr Golding put a business case to delegates that showed a B-double on HML permit running Melbourne-Sydney with just four tonnes extra payload (out of a 5.5t potential increase) one way would break even on all extra expenses in just 16 trips.
“TCA will be taking IAP to the market in 2006/07,” Mr Golding concluded. “
“Intelligent Access is a key technology for boosting road transport efficiency and safety and reducing environmental impacts, a win-win situation for all concerned.”
Ends –
View presentation
View the media release
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