A demonstration of high productivity vehicles hosted by Dubbo City Council in association with NatRoad and the Australian Trucking Association gave a further insight into new combinations and technology for road transport.
If you are going to receive consideration for multi-combination high productivity vehicles on the nation’s roads, the best thing to do is show it how it is, and that’s exactly what NatRoad and the ATA did in the central western NSW city of Dubbo recently.
Dubbo is a major trucking hub and home to type one road trains servicing western areas of the state, but as the freight task increases, and there is an urgent need to better serve communities, higher productivity vehicles provide solutions.
Earlier this year the ATA held a highly successful practical demonstration of high productivity vehicles in Narrandera and the event staged in Dubbo on 21 June gave local government, NSW Roads and Traffic Authority, NSW Police, National Transport Commission (NTC) representatives, state politicians and other interested parties another opportunity to get up close and personal with trucks and gather information on the future of trucking, particularly in regional areas.
Dubbo Mayor, Cr Councillor Allan Smith, recognises the importance of trucks in the economics of the area and agreed to host the demonstration that saw more than 90 people attend.
“Dubbo is a trucking hub and we must work with the road transport industry to ensure this is maintained and not lost to another city,” Cr Smith said at the event held at Brocklehurst in the heart of the local trucking precinct.
To demonstrate the capabilities and manoeuvrability of multi-combination vehicles, a number of different configurations were on hand including a standard B-double unit, type one road train, B-triple, type one road train with triaxle dolly, AB triple, modular AB triple and a BAB quad.
Those invited to the event were able to see just how they handled road conditions on a course selected to put each combination through its paces in undulating country, on corners and tight bends.
At each stage of the course NatRoad and ATA people were available to explain dynamics of the vehicles, explain operating parameters and answer questions on every vehicle.
Local media attended and coverage of the event saw press reports and television footage, including interviews with industry experts, deliver a host of information to residents in the region including farmers who are big users of road transport.
Event organiser and NatRoad Director, John Morris, who lives in Dubbo and is a campaigner for road train operation, said the demonstration and information day was highly successful.
“Attendance on the day was better than expected, actually more people attended than were invited which indicates the high level of interest from government representatives keen to learn more about high productivity vehicles,” John told Prime Mover.
“Dubbo City Council, host of the day, was extremely supportive and worked closely with us to make sure every aspect of the demonstration was as we wished and that those attending went away with the information they needed.
“These vehicles are already used extensively in many parts of Australia including Queensland, Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia and are proving to be safe and innovative vehicles, to assist in handling our ever increasing freight task throughout Australia.
“The overarching principle and requirement is to improve road safety for all road users. The high productivity vehicles (HPV) have proved to be safer by far with their modern design encompassing better braking abilities and increased stability on the road,” he added.
John tells work is underway to have access granted for BAB quads to operate as far east as Narromine and for B-triples able to pass through Dubbo delivering increased efficiency, and the practical demonstration of these units was valuable for regulators, government officials and the community to see handling capabilities and interaction with other road users.
An event of this nature requires the assistance of a large number of volunteers working in unison to have trucks and trailing equipment available on the day, taking them out of active service in an effort to have the correct information available for government representatives and further the process of gaining vehicle access benefitting the entire industry.