NZ Transport Agency’s Q4 freight data shows good progress against our priority of moving more freight on fewer trucks.
The Transport Agency has posted some good results against our ‘moving more freight on fewer trucks’ priority in the fourth quarter, with a solid increase in the amount of freight carried by high productivity motor vehicles (HPMVs).
This is partly reflective of a steadily improving economic picture, with increasing export volumes showing through in higher levels of heavy vehicle use around ports and areas related to export-related freight production.
Travel by HPMVs as a proportion of travel by all heavy vehicles rose to 19.88 per cent in the fourth quarter, a fraction under the 20 per cent target for the end of the June 2014 year. During the quarter HPMVs travelled 83 million kilometres, an increase of five million from the previous quarter.
The amount of the State Highway network available for use by HPMVs exceeded our 1500 kilometre target.
The 50MAX rollout continued to expand during the quarter, with some significant milestones reached. The total number of kilometres travelled by 50MAX since introduction in October 2013 jumped to over 20 million from 6.5 million at the end of the third quarter.
This was partly attributed to the introduction of an online interactive network map for 50MAX vehicles during May. Within a few weeks of launching over 1600 different users had access the map, with some freight operators incorporating it into their web portals, meaning drivers can spend less time planning their route and more time on the road.
Permits for 50MAX surpassed the 1000 mark during the quarter with an additional 11 councils joining the 50MAX single permit system meaning 64 per cent of New Zealand’s councils have signed up.
The turnaround time for 50MAX permits is currently the same or next day, down from two days in the previous quarter and well ahead of the five day processing target. This is largely due to the successful introduction of a new online application form in March, which has resulted in time savings for both the operator and the Transport Agency.
However the turnaround time for HPMV permits is at 19 days, against the target time of five days. During the quarter we have reviewed our processes and determined that in some cases a target time of five days will not be achievable due to the complex nature of the permits, especially where further information will be required. Therefore we have split our permits into ‘standard’ and ‘complex’, with this change reflected in our 2014/15 Statement of Intent.
Find out more about all of our priorities and detailed results of progress against targets in our quarterly reports and Statement of Intent.
