Moving Auckland freight gets a timely boost

29 June 2009

Media Release

Moving Auckland freight gets a timely boost

The proposal to allow road transport operators to carry heavier loads will help make moving freight more efficient, says National Road Carrier executive director David Aitken.

He was responding to Transport Minister Steven Joyce’s announcement to the National Road Carrier annual conference to allow vehicles of up to around 50 tonnes on routes approved by the New Zealand Transport Agency and local councils. Currently heavy vehicles can carry loads of up to 44 tonnes.

“This will bring greater efficiency and a boost in productivity for businesses, especially long-haul distributors from Auckland to provincial centres and large deliveries of consumer goods around the region such as to supermarkets.

“Auckland is a major distribution centre for the Upper North Island. This is one way to increase productivity while at the same time reducing freight costs and the numbers of trips, which in turn will help road safety and cut emissions.”

Trucks carrying heavier loads will not be any wider or higher than trucks on the road at present but could be up to a metre longer.

Mr Aitken urged road and land planning authorities currently working on designs to upgrade state highways to Northland and the Waikato and roads in the Auckland region such as Neilson St and around Mt Wellington to take in to account the needs of longer dimension vehicles, especially at intersections and turning circles. “The NRC has recently been encouraging retail shopping centre designers to ensure the dimensions of loading and unloading bays were sufficient for large trucks.

“This didn’t just apply to the loading bays but also turning circles and entry points off busy roads. There is nothing worse for safety on a busy road than large vehicles having to back up. It is a problem that can be fixed at source with good road design,” said Mr Aitken.

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