The average age of Australian trucks is 14 years compared to eight by world standards, the TIC says
By Ruza Zivkusic | March 7, 2011
Australian trucks are much older than by world standards, according to the Truck Industry Council (TIC).
Speaking at the Safety Drive Day in Melbourne last Friday, which was organised by the Victorian Transport Association, TIC Chief Technical Officer Simon Humphries says government incentives are needed to reduce the age of trucks as the average age is 14 years compared to eight years by world standards.
In order to achieve zero fatalities, more needs to be done to increase the number of new trucks, he adds.
“To cope with growing freight tasks, the trend is going towards larger capacity of trucks,” Humphries says.
He is calling on cheaper registration costs for safer and greener trucks, saying the capital and operating costs of owning a truck are too high.
“We aim for zero fatalities and crashes, so this means accelerating adoption of safer and greener trucks, accelerating infrastructure improvements and promoting advanced driver training.
“The above won’t happen fast enough without the government involvement,” he adds.
A total of 458,205 trucks were registered in 2005, compared to 536,247 in 2010, which is an increase of 17 percent, he adds.
The average age of a light rigid truck is 10.9 years, 15.4 for a heavy rigid and 10.9 for articulated trucks, according to the Motor Vehicle Census data released last month.