A low-noise, low-emission truck and trailer combination that could be the future of road freight in WA has been put on display in Fremantle.
The combination, commissioned by WA freight company Warners Transport, utilises a modern Scania prime mover and trailers built by local manufacturer Howard Porter.
Western Roads Federation Chief Executive Officer Cam Dumesny said the combination was the type of vehicle that could position Fremantle Port as the Australian leader in how to have efficient freight connections without adverse impacts on the community.
"This combination is a low-noise, low-emission and far safer vehicle combination that has the potential to reduce the number truck movements by as much as 20 per cent because of its higher productivity," Mr Dumesny said.
"It's low-noise because it includes the use of a gear box retarder to replace the exhaust brakes, and it meets the Euro 6 emission standards which means it produces up to 95 per cent less Nitrogen Oxide and 97 per cent less Particulate Matter emissions than some of the older trucks that are still on our roads.
"It also has a full safety pack with adaptive cruise control, advanced emergency braking and lane departure warning, as well as electronically controlled disc brakes, while the trailer combinations have been engineered to include full EBS braking which is critically important as it stops the rear trailer sliding when braking hard or in the wet.
"The other bonus is the trailers have been designed and built in WA by Howard Porter which creates local manufacturing jobs."
The combination was inspected by the mayors of two of the local governments most heavily impacted by road freight to the Fremantle Port - Fremantle and Melville.
In June Fremantle Mayor Brad Pettitt, Melville Mayor George Gear and East Fremantle Mayor Jim O'Neill put their collective support behind a clean freight initiative that would enable more efficient use of the road network by capping freight volumes and placing stricter controls on the types of trucks allowed to transport freight.
"It was clear in the Westport Taskforce final report that was released earlier this month that the biggest constraint around Fremantle Port was not the capacity of the port itself but the transport network used to get freight to the port and the impact that has on local communities," Mayor Pettitt said.
"Using modern, safer, quieter and less polluting trucks like this one would dramatically reduce the impact of road freight on local residents.
"And because they are quieter they can be operated at night, away from periods of peak traffic congestion, which would make the road network much safer and more efficient.
"By introducing a new Fremantle Port accreditation system to bring in cleaner and quieter trucks and over time ban older, dirtier trucks it would make the existing road network far more efficient."
As part of the Clean Freight Initiative the mayors are calling for:
- A new Fremantle Port accreditation system that will bring in cleaner and quieter trucks and over time ban older, dirtier trucks.
- State government incentives for clean, quieter trucks and ultimately a zero-emissions truck fleet based on hydrogen and electric vehicles.
- Government to work with industry to incentivise these quieter trucks to run outside of business and especially peak hours.
The intent is to reduce the effects of noise and diesel pollution on local residents by ensuring only cleaner and quieter trucks can access the port.
