TRUCKING INDUSTRY * Australia - B-triples could carry 17 per cent of Australia's road freight

Canberra,Australia -The ATA Friday Facts -11 March 2011: -- B-triples could carry about 17 per cent of Australia’s road freight by 2030 if they are granted access to the B-double network outside built-up areas, a new report from the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics shows... The report, Truck productivity: sources, trends and future prospects, examines the increase in truck productivity between 1971 and 2007 and looks at the future prospects for freight productivity growth... The report models five scenarios for the future growth in truck productivity, including the impact of granting B-triples access to the B-double network outside urban areas, with AB-triples allowed on road train routes... According to the report, Australia’s road freight task grew more than six-fold between 1971 and 2007, but the average load carried by articulated trucks doubled and the average distance travelled per articulated truck increased by almost 90 per cent...  (Image from i3.ytimg)

* Australia - Exempt TruckSafe vehicles from annual inspections

Canberra,Australia -The ATA Friday Facts -11 March 2011: -- The planned national heavy vehicle laws should exempt trucks and trailers accredited under TruckSafe from yearly roadworthiness inspections, the ATA’s Industry Technical Council recommended this week... NSW, Queensland and the Northern Territory require trucks and trailers to have yearly inspections. The draft national heavy vehicle laws released for consultation last week would keep those existing state-based inspection systems... ATA Policy Manager David Coonan said operators in TruckSafe had strong systems to manage their maintenance. He said they were audited on entry to the scheme and then every two years... At its meeting, the ITC also considered the proposed national laws covering B-double spray suppression and restricted access vehicles... The ITC provides expert advice to the ATA and regulators about technical and maintenance issues. Its members include suppliers, transport consultants, workshop managers and transport company owners...