Isuzu Australia (IAL) has unveiled a new independent industry research report that reveals the evolving trends and challenges present within Australia’s road transport sector.
The Future of Trucking Report: The Way Forward has been developed in conjunction with external research specialists and is the largest and most comprehensive survey of its kind in Australia.
The report highlights findings from more than 1,300 survey respondents from transport operators, including prominent general freight and last mile delivery fleets, through to construction, government, health and other niche industry sectors—with the results offering a unique insight into the state of Australia’s essential road transport industry.
IAL director and chief operating officer Andrew Harbison says that since first publishing the inaugural The Future of Trucking report in 2020, the road transport operating landscape has continued to evolve, both locally and globally.
“An important goal of this year’s report was to identify and monitor emerging and entrenched trends, and to look at how operators are navigating these within the Australian truck industry,” Harbison says.
“The second instalment of the study uses this critical lens to delve into these issues—with the intent of better understanding overall industry sentiment, evolving technology systems, as well as procurement and maintenance requirements.
“There’s no doubt that our industry is on the cusp of transformation, especially in relation to technological and regulatory change.
“Pleasingly, our updated findings paint a confident picture of a strong and proactive sector ready to grapple with these challenges head-on.”
Key takeaways include that the Australian truck industry is expected to evolve rapidly in the coming three years, bringing in rising fuel prices and tighter profit margins as the national freight task continues to grow.
In the procurement space, the average tenure of new truck ownership remains at six years, with the purchase preference being for pre-built OEM chassis and customer evaluation focusing on total cost of ownership.
When it comes to technology and safety, key safety technologies like Lane Keep Assist (LKA) and Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM) are looking to be adopted more widely, with active safety features also being adopted in new model trucks.
The report says Australian fleets have indicated a strong appetite when it comes to adopting zero-emissions trucks despite the timing of introduction remaining mixed.
Truck maintenance has become a major issue due to Chain of Responsibility (CoR) requirements, with businesses preferring to complete major truck repairs at OEM dealerships.
IAL head of marketing and customer experience John Walker was the project lead for the report and says fresh findings show resilience across the sector.
“Be it regulatory, societal or technological, a key theme emerging from the report is that change within our sector is as constant as it is ongoing,” Walker says.
“Overwhelmingly, our latest report shows significant positivity about the overall position of the road transport sector. We trust that this ongoing research project will arm and assist strategic thinking and decision making within our industry.”