High productivity vehicle factors, commodity characteristics and route choice

The road transport industry and the economic sectors they service are interested in increasing High Productivity Vehicle (HPV) access to road networks in order to reduce freight transport costs. Road Managers are cautious about extending access as longer and heavier trucks are not popular with other road users, while government policy advisers seek increased road freight efficiency. Within this contested policy position the paper describes the survey and analysis of real world data to: 1. Derive the number, type and proportion of heavy vehicles engaged in road freight carriage between North Queensland and Brisbane. 2. Develop empirical relationships for the upper bound for higher order HPVs (Type 2 or Triple Road Trains) as a proportion of other heavy vehicle types, and discuss factors underlying this, which may contribute to improved road freight transport planning. 3. By analysing commodities on Brisbane to North Queensland heavy vehicles, improve understanding of the potential for road freight diversion to an Inland Freight Route.