HPFV roll-out hampered by 'red dots', bridge weight limits

The state government has announced it's opened up another 3000 kilometres of roads to Higher Productivity Freight Vehicles, pushing the total to more than a quarter of all routes.

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Victorian Transport Association chief executive Peter Anderson said there was no master plan to deal with weight limits on bridges and other infrastructure.

"What we are building in Victoria is a network of gazetted routes for different types of heavy vehicles, to better manage them on our roads," Mr Anderson said.

Maps indicating where HPFV's could travel were marked as green lines.

"The only problem we have is that the green lines are interspersed with red dots, bridges or locations where a vehicle may damage infrastructure.

"Those green lines mean nothing if there is a red dot in the middle."

A-doubles, with a maximum length of 36.5 metres and a gross weight of 85.5 tonnes, are the longest combination permitted on the HPFV network.

Bridges with weight restrictions included those at Bridgewater, Dunnolly and on the Calder Freeway, at Green Gully, just north of Melbourne.

'It's not they can't take the weight; it's because the authorities don't measure how often these trucks go over them, so they don't know the damage the vehicles may, or may not, do.

"This whole argument is very academic; keep in mind 53 per cent of the time the truck is full, 47 pc of the time the truck is empty."

Russell Hocking, Prairie, uses an A-double to cart hay from Werrimul to the exporters around the Bendigo area.

"The amount of effort we have to go to, to make the vehicles safe, is quite extensive," Mr Hocking said.

While it was a long process to get permits approved, once carriers got the green light, there were definite efficiency gains.

But he said that was being hampered by bridge loads

"There are a few strategic bridges that need to be done - if they want the A-double network to operate, clearly they have to start fixing them and keep plugging away," Mr Hocking said.

Brendan Maher, Maher's Transport, Bendigo, said his company was carting grain, vegetables, by-products and stone.

'"For every five B-doubles that are on the road, you only need four A-doubles," Mr Maher said.

"It reduces the number of drivers you need, and as the driver pool is shrinking, it's harder to find them.'

The higher profit margin, gained by using A-doubles, meant companies could pay more, resulting in a better pool of safer drivers.

He agreed with the VTA opening up of new routes was compromised by the weight restrictions.

"It's a step forward, without being a step forward - it gives us more routes, but you have to apply for permits to get around some of those bridges.

"There are some routes into Melbourne where we have to go through suburban streets, to get around bridges, which seems a bit crazy to me."

Riordan Grain Services Balliang site manager Leigh Burgess said the company currently operated multiple 30m A-double configurations, including tankers, through Victoria, NSW, Queensland and South Australia.

"With these larger combinations we are seeing reductions in driver fatigue, through a reduced amount of driving hours required to physically move the goods consigned," Mr Burgess said.

"The drivers do not need to push as long or as hard to get the extra loads to complete targets as they are moving approximately 25-30 per cent more each time, meaning less loads."

Early indicators also showed about a 20 per cent emission reduction in environmental impact per tonne of goods carried when comparing an 85.50m A-Double to 68.50m B-double.

"We are starting to hear this being discussed around the globe as companies and truck manufacturers are struggling to meet future emissions targets," he said.

"They are now also looking to increase payloads which will then reduce emissions per goods carried."

Regional Roads Victoria Chief Regional Roads Officer Paul Northey told a state budget estimates hearing there had been about a 400 per cent increase in applications for heavy vehicle access in the state.

He said the recent state budget had set aside $41m for mapping HPFV routes.

Mr Northey said there would always be heavier than normal loads on bridges, but the system of applying for permits was "clunky.

"Our bridges are a lifeline for many communities and we have to be really conscious of the safety issues, of allowing heavy vehicles and making sure that can be done in a safe manner," he said.

Roads Minister Ben Carroll said a new bridge assessment processing system would simplify the Department of Transport's permit processes.