Heavier trucks move attacked

A move to extend the weight carrying capacity of heavy trucks is "dangerous and wasteful", says motor industry commentator Clive Matthew-Wilson.

Commenting after the Government announced yesterday that it would allow trucks of up to 53 tonnes on public roads, Mr Matthew-Wilson, editor of the Dog and Lemon Guide, said the move was "insane".

A transport rule change, set to take effect on May 1, allows for trucks with the required permits to boost their loads from 44 tonnes to 53 tonnes on specified routes.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce said the Land Transport Rule: Vehicle Dimensions and Mass Amendment 2010 allowed the development of a permit regime for 'high productivity vehicles" to increase their capacity, and there would also be provision to allow for loads above 53 tonnes under specific circumstances.

It would not mean trucks would be wider or higher, but some would be longer.

Mr Matthew-Wilson said that not only was this incredibly wasteful of energy, it was also a serious risk to other motorists.

"One in five trucks were found to have brake faults in 2007, and the larger the truck, the harder it is to stop," he said.

"Trucks make up only 4 percent of the vehicle fleet but cause 16 percent of all road deaths. This risk is only going to rise with larger trucks."

Mr Matthew-Wilson said claims that larger trucks were part of the Government's energy-saving strategy were wrong.

"The Government's own figures show that transporting goods by rail is over five times more efficient that transporting goods by truck," he said.

Mr Joyce said New Zealand's freight task was forecast to increase by 70 to 75 percent over the next 25 years. Rail and coastal shipping would play an increasingly important role in meeting that task, but the bulk of the increase was expected to be carried on roads.

The Green Party said the move would not lower the road toll and would compromise the viability of rail and shipping.

Green Party spokesman Gareth Hughes said the involvement of trucks in road deaths was high and way out of proportion with other vehicles, and increasing the number of heavier trucks would add to the danger.

The increased weight would also be damaging to New Zealand's roading network and leave extra expenses to ratepayers which would not be covered by increased road user charges.

"Neither will they cover the upgrading of hundreds of bridges in our road network to accommodate the increased loads," Mr Hughes said.

He said KiwiRail had estimated it would lose 12 percent of its freight tonnes because of the move to heavier trucks, yet there didn't appear to be any analysis from the Government on how the safer and more sustainable forms of freight transport, such as rail and shipping, would be affected.

Mr Joyce said productivity gains of between 10 and 20 percent could be achieved by using fewer trucks to carry a given amount of freight.