The costs of decarbonisation and concerns over its impact on business profitability was among the biggest concerns recognised by Australian operators participating in an international survey on green transport.
The inaugural International Road Transport Union (IRU) Green Compact Survey Report 2025 was released this week, providing an opportunity to see where Australia’s transport industry sits in comparison to European businesses on the zero emissions journey.
NatRoad CEO Warren Clark says the report provides evidence-based data for the first time on how Australia’s progress in decarbonising the industry compares on a global scale, particularly the European Union.
“The insights contained in the Green Compact Survey Report give us the opportunity to learn from experiences overseas and get the settings right here so we can achieve the most effective transition to a low carbon future, one that is realistic, achievable and cost-effective for Australia’s road transport operators,” Clark says.
“The journey to decarbonising here in Australia must be economically viable for operators who are already dealing with tight margins and uncertainty around costs, and we will continue our calls for governments here to assist with the transition by engaging with the road freight industry and listening to our concerns.”
Key findings in the survey report include:
- 71% of Australian operators are worried about decarbonisation (82% in Europe).
- 67% of Australian operators aren’t monitoring their carbon emissions, behind Europe where the figure drops to 56%.
- 67% of Australian operators said customers’ unwillingness to cover additional costs was a barrier to decarbonising (58% for Europe), while 50% regarded infrastructure not being ready to support new technology (Europe 45%) as another roadblock.
- Australian operators are running older fleets on average, with half saying their fleet is between 5 and 15 years old. (Only 25% of Australians reported their vehicles were less than five years old, contrasting with Europe where 57% of respondents run vehicles that are five years old or less.)
- 75% of Australian operators said they planned to continue investing in diesel vehicles.
“It’s important to remember emissions reduction can be achieved with technology and tools we already have. The research data shows us many Australian operators are decarbonising by increasing existing diesel vehicle efficiency,” Clark says.
“Our Get Fleet Fit program was introduced to help the whole industry decarbonise and reduce operational costs with their current diesel fleets through measures like efficient fuel management, maintenance practices, and training drivers to use efficient driving techniques.”
Clark says NatRoad has been actively pushing for more support of Australian operators, including making a submission to the Productivity Commision’s inquiry into cheaper, cleaner, energy solutions, with the aim of lowering the price of low-carbon fuels, and has also suggested improvements to the Australian Carbon Credit Unit scheme to make it less complicated for smaller transport operators to participate.
“It’s encouraging to see the local industry participate in this global survey and make sure our voice is heard,” Clark said.
“We’ll continue pushing for a transition that’s realistic, achievable and fair for all operators – not just the largest players who can afford early adoption.”
The IRU Green Compact Survey Report 2025 is available here.