The QTA, through its participation in the ATA's Transport & Economics Policy Group gives advice to all levels of Government on the benefits of giving the road network access to high productivity vehicles, on load mass limits and the Federal Interstate Registration Scheme (FIRS).

To achieve this, we aim to:

• Improve the industry productivity by working with Governments and the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) to retain current, regional, remote and state based mass, access and other initiatives under a no-disadvantage test; support the introduction of comparable arrangements in additional areas; promote the use of safer vehicles with greater capacity and seek continued road funding to improve safety and reduce congestion for all road users
• Improve the industry's viability by lobbying Governments and support its members on lobbying for equitable and sensible registration charges and work to improve operators' cash flow by reducing late payments
• Establish nationally consistent trucking laws and enforcement arrangements by working with Governments, the NTC and the NHVR to ensure the planned national heavy vehicle regulations represent best practice and are consistent with the QTA / ATA Policy; seek a uniform solution on fatigue management that takes into account the unique characteristics of operations in WA, the NT and other remote areas; and work to ensure that Australia's road agencies and police enforce the national regulations consistently

Australia’s growing freight task

The BITRE projects that Australia’s total road freight task will more than double between 1999 and 2030. The freight growth is expected to be extremely high on the shorter interstate corridors, such as Sydney to Melbourne and Sydney to Brisbane.

The road freight/trucking industry carries 75 per cent of Australia’s domestic freight (including every item on the shelves of every supermarket), that is more than two billion tonnes per year. Improvements in the industry’s efficiency, productivity and ability to deliver freight flow through the whole economy.

Trucking companies pay $2.3 billion per year in specific fuel taxes and registration charges for their use of the road system, as well as the taxes imposed on all businesses.

Trucking operators have to contend with nine different regulatory frameworks and nine different registration systems. Even where states have adopted national model laws, there are often differences in interpretation and enforcement.

Why can’t this extra freight be moved by rail?

Road and rail freight are complements, not competitors. Rail is well-suited to transporting bulk commodities and moving containerised freight across continental distances, although even this freight is transported by road at the start and end of its journey.

Road freight will continue to dominate the shorter transport corridors, where reliability, speed and flexibility are vitally important.

A consumer ordering an item through the internet wants it delivered the following day; a company that works on a just-in time basis needs to know that its overnight consignment of intermediate production goods will arrive in time for its first shift.