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Cover of Quantifying the Benefits of High Productivity Vehicles
Quantifying the Benefits of High Productivity Vehicles
  • Publication no: AP-R465-14
  • ISBN: 978-1-925037-74-6
  • Published: 4 July 2014

This report outlines the direct and indirect benefits of High Productivity Vehicles (HPV) in Australia. Direct benefits examined include safety, productivity, fuel and environmental savings. An attempt has also been made to estimate indirect benefits of HPV adoption which include the stimulated economic flow-on benefits, lowering community freight exposure, and slightly lowering infrastructure maintenance costs.

This is the first study of its type to create national heavy vehicle accident benchmarks for Australia, and to use those benchmarks to measure the national HPV fleet accident performance rates. Over the last three years the estimates for productivity of HPV have risen significantly as operators have supplied more precise kilometre savings estimates than was available prior this study.

The HPV initiative is poised to conservatively deliver $12.6 billion in real benefits to Australia by 2030 through $6.9 billion in discounted direct benefits and $5.7 billion in indirect discounted flow-on economic benefits.

  • 1. Introduction
    • 1.1. Background
    • 1.2. Scope of the Report
    • 1.3. Not in the Scope of the Report
    • 1.4. Reasons for the Report - A Lack of Public Data on High Productivity Vehicles
    • 1.5. HPV Safety
    • 1.6. Productivity and Environmental Benefits of HPVs
    • 1.7. Very Limited HPV Data is Available
    • 1.8. Use of Operator and Insurance Data
    • 1.9. Productivity Scenarios
  • 2. Survey of HPV Operators
    • 2.1. The HPV Survey
    • 2.2. Fleet Data Sought from the HPV Operators
    • 2.3. The Makeup of the Surveyed Fleets with HPVs
    • 2.4. The HPV Truck Configurations Being Used
    • 2.5. Where the Survey Fleets are Operating in Australia
    • 2.6. What Commodities the HPV Fleets Carry
    • 2.7. Emission Ratings for the HPV Fleets
    • 2.8. Backhaul Loadings by HPV Fleet Operators
    • 2.9. HPV Use of GPS Systems
    • 2.10. Certifications Held by HPV Holdings Within Fleet Operators
  • 3. High Productivity Vehicle Safety
    • 3.1. What Truck Accident Rates are Used to Benchmark HPVs?
    • 3.2. Setting National Heavy Truck Accident Benchmarks
    • 3.3. Examining Major Accident Incidents by Truck Configuration
    • 3.4. Examining HPV Accident Incidents by Truck Configuration
    • 3.5. Comparing the Insured HPV Fleets Against Other Surveyed Truck Fleets
    • 3.6. Comparing the PBS-HPVs and the HPV1 Trucks
    • 3.7. Other Factors for Consideration in HPV Accident Comparisons
  • 4. Potential HPV Productivity Benefits: 2011 - 2030
    • 4.1. Kilometres that HPVS are Performing and Saving
      • 4.1.1. The Vehicle Classes from which HPVs Emerge
      • 4.1.2. Calculating the Saved Kilometre Benefits of HPVs
      • 4.1.3. How to Calculate the Reduction in Trucks by Adopting HPVs
    • 4.2. Three Productivity Scenarios: 2011-2030
      • 4.2.1. Calculating the HPV Productivity Scenarios
  • 5. Safety Savings
    • 5.1. Potential HPV Fatality and Insurance Savings 2011 - 2030
      • 5.1.1. Insurance Savings through Reduced HPV Incidents
  • 6. Environment
    • 6.1. The Environmental Benefits of HPVs
      • 6.1.1. The Use of a Dollar per Tonne Carbon Price
  • 7. Total Direct Benefits
    • 7.1. The Total Benefits of HPVs 2011 - 2030
      • 7.1.1. State Benefits of Phased National Highway Access for HPVs
  • 8. Indirect Benefits
    • 8.1. Economic Flow-On Benefits from HPV Adoption
      • 8.1.1. Application of the Input-Output Method
      • 8.1.2. Flow-on HPV Benefits by State
      • 8.1.3. Observations on the I/O Benefits
    • 8.2. HPV Impacts on Road Maintenance: An Alternative Methodology
      • 8.2.1. Background
      • 8.2.2. HPV Impacts on Pavement Maintenance: A Hypothetical Case Example
      • 8.2.3. Road Maintenance Calculations for Different HPV Fleets
    • 8.3. Freight Exposure Impacts of HPVs
      • 8.3.1. Freight Exposure and Freight Exposure Indices
      • 8.3.2. Community Perceptions to HPVs
      • 8.3.3. Creating a Freight Exposure index
      • 8.3.4. Calculating a Freight Exposure Index – an HPV Case Example
  • 9. Outlook
    • 9.1. Outlook for PBS Vehicles to 2030
      • 9.1.1. Current Outlook – Vehicles
      • 9.1.2. Current Outlook – Operations
      • 9.1.3. Forecasts for the HPV Sector in Australia
    • 9.2. Manufacturer and Supplier Insights
    • 9.3. Self Certification is Expected to Boost HPVs
  • 10. Conclusions
    • 10.1. Findings on HPV Adoption
    • 10.2. HPV Safety and Accidents
    • 10.3. HPVs - Their Environmental Credentials
    • 10.4. HPV Productivity - Higher than Previously Forecast
    • 10.5. Sectors of the Economy Impacted by HPVs
    • 10.6. Other HPV Benefits
    • 10.7. What States Win from HPV Adoption?
    • 10.8. Future Facts About HPVs
  • Appendix A The HPV Operator Survey
  • A.1 A 1: Survey Questionnaire for HPV Transport Operators
  • Appendix B Weighted Unit Costs per Kilometre
  • Appendix C Escalators and Discount Rates
  • Appendix D Comparative Kilometre Savings
  • Appendix E Comparative Accident Performance of Austroads Vehicle Groups
  • Appendix F Survey Statistical Significance
  • Appendix G Technical Background to Input - Output Analysis
  • G.1 Outline of the I/O Technique
  • G.2 Methodology for Estimating Flow-On Effects
  • G.3 Methodology for Estimation of Costs
  • G.4 Assumptions Used in Estimating Costs
  • G.5 Obtaining an Estimate of the Total H & R Vehicle Margin
  • G.6 Estimation of Cost Savings
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