WA freight stakeholders picked for local government port truck modernisation pitch
WA operator Warners Transport, local equipment manufacturer Howard Porter and truckmaker Scania feature in a joint local government industry-backed campaign for cleaner freight movements.
The low-noise, low-emission truck and trailer combination, on display in Fremantle, is spotlighted as the possible future of road freight in WA after being inspected by the mayors of two of the local governments most heavily impacted by road freight to the Fremantle Port – Fremantle and Melville.
The combination commissioned by Warners uses a modern Scania prime mover and trailers built by Howard Porter and is seen by the council as the type of vehicle that could position Fremantle Port as the Australian leader in efficient freight connections without adverse impacts on the community.
“This combination is a low-noise, low-emission and far safer vehicle combination that has the potential to reduce the number truck movements by as much as 20 per cent because of its higher productivity,” Western Roads Federation (WRF) chief executive officer Cam Dumesny, who supports the campaign, explains.
“It’s low-noise because it includes the use of a gear box retarder to replace the exhaust brakes, and it meets the Euro 6 emission standards which means it produces up to 95 per cent less nitrogen oxide and 97 per cent less particulate matter emissions than some of the older trucks that are still on our roads.
“It also has a full safety pack with adaptive cruise control, advanced emergency braking and lane departure warning, as well as electronically controlled disc brakes, while the trailer combinations have been engineered to include full EBS braking which is critically important as it stops the rear trailer sliding when braking hard or in the wet.
“The other bonus is the trailers have been designed and built in WA by Howard Porter which creates local manufacturing jobs.”
In June, Fremantle mayor Brad Pettitt, Melville mayor George Gear and East Fremantle mayor Jim O’Neill put their collective support behind a clean freight initiative (CFI) that would enable more efficient use of the road network by capping freight volumes and placing stricter controls on the types of trucks allowed to transport freight.
Read how the mayors launched their truck modernisation campaign, here
“It was clear in the Westport Taskforce final report that was released earlier this month that the biggest constraint around Fremantle Port was not the capacity of the port itself but the transport network used to get freight to the port and the impact that has on local communities,” Pettitt says.
“Using modern, safer, quieter and less polluting trucks like this one would dramatically reduce the impact of road freight on local residents.
“And because they are quieter they can be operated at night, away from periods of peak traffic congestion, which would make the road network much safer and more efficient.
“By introducing a new Fremantle Port accreditation system to bring in cleaner and quieter trucks and over time ban older, dirtier trucks it would make the existing road network far more efficient.”
The CFI calls for:
- a new Fremantle Port accreditation system that will bring in cleaner and quieter trucks and over time ban older, dirtier trucks
- state government incentives for clean, quieter trucks and ultimately a zero-emissions truck fleet based on hydrogen and electric vehicles
- government to work with industry to incentivise these quieter trucks to run outside of business and especially peak hours.
The intent is to reduce the effects of noise and diesel pollution on local residents by ensuring only cleaner and quieter trucks can access the port, the joint statement notes.