The government should make the trucking industry pay the full costs of the roads they travel down, says the car review website dogandlemon.com.
Editor Clive Matthew-Wilson, who is an outspoken road safety campaigner, says:
“About two thirds of the cost of building new highways goes to making them strong enough for large vehicles, which are mainly trucks. Excluding events such as storm damage, about 80% of all road maintenance costs are the result of the damage caused by trucks.”
“Yet, the trucking industry pays just 23% of the costs of building and maintaining these highways.”
“Many ratepayers are unaware that their rates cover 44% of the costs of local roads. By comparison, heavy vehicles such as trucks pay just 25% of the costs of building and maintaining these roads.”
“Truck drivers are not the enemy here. The enemy is a cosy historical arrangement between the trucking industry and the government, that allows the trucking companies to grow rich at the taxpayers’ expense.”
“Worse, while the trucking companies get rich, the railways struggle and major road safety improvements don’t happen.”
Matthew-Wilson says truck Road User Charges should be doubled immediately, then gradually increased to cover the full truck-related costs of the roads the trucks travel down.
Matthew-Wilson wants these increased charges to be spent on road safety improvements and rail.
“Nearly a quarter of the road toll involves trucks. In 1980, accidents involving trucks made up 12% of the road toll. In 2016, accidents involving trucks made up 23% of the road toll. That’s one of the major reasons our road toll is going up and not down.”
“The government’s own studies show that rail freight is at least twice as efficient as road freight. Moving freight by sea is also many times more efficient than trucks. The only reason that trucking companies prosper is because they don’t pay the true costs of the roads they travel down.”
100% excellent point there as rail needs to now be restored all around our provinces. – Our case in point as explainned here;
9/7/2018
NZTA has closed the dangerous state highway 2 beteen Bay of Plenty and Gisborne again for the six time in two years.
http://www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz/traffic/roadclosures/217156?layers=road-closures
“Due to a major slip and poor weather conditions, the Waioeka Gorge slip site is closed between Waioeka Pa Rd and Te Wera Rd as a safety precaution”
Rail services must be restored by Labour/NZF/Greens.
There now must be a railway route investigated by the new Government now to relieve these disruptions caused by road closures.
In our past history several rail routes were surveyed by NZ Governments from 1880 but most were stopped when the world war one & later world war two.
A possible best route for a railway now has been proposed from Gisborne to Murupara and will follow the state highwway 38, so being easily accessed as being a good solution since the railway is still connected to Murupara and goes to Tauranga and Rotorua, so this is considered as positive for a freigh,t passenger and tourism services as a very attractive option as a good rail route.
Our letter sent to Phil Twyford today requesting for road freight companies to pay their fair share of road damages and use more rail and restored regional rail again.
Protecting our environment & health.
In association with other Community Groups, NHTCF and all Government Agencies since 2001.
Public submission to;
TO; Minister of Transport.
Hon’ Phil Twyford and other ministers,
9th July 2018.
Subject; – ‘Trucking companies growing rich on taxpayer handouts – Dog And Lemon Guide’- Public submission to; Phil Twyford new petrol fuel price rise Nationally for road safety. We advocate a rebalance of petrol/diesel litre price in line with trading partners which encourage rail freight over road freight. Read the case from Dog And Lemon Guide https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2018/07/09/trucking-companies-growing-rich-on-taxpayer-handouts-dog-and-lemon-guide/#comment-431988
100% excellent point there on today’s issue of “The daily Blog” – as rail needs to now be restored all around our provinces. – Our case in point as explained here;
9/7/2018
Our submission comments are as follows;
NZTA has closed the dangerous state highway 2 between Bay of Plenty and Gisborne again for the six time in two years.
http://www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz/traffic/roadclosures/217156?layers=road-closures
“Due to a major slip and poor weather conditions, the Waioeka Gorge slip site is closed between Waioeka Pa Rd and Te Wera Rd as a safety precaution”
Rail services must be restored by Labour/NZF/Greens.
There now must be a railway route investigated by the new Government now to relieve these disruptions caused by road closures.
In our past history several rail routes were surveyed by NZ Governments from 1880 but most were stopped when the world war one & later world war two.
A possible best route for a railway now has been proposed from Gisborne to Murupara and will follow the state highway 38, so being easily accessed as being a good solution since the railway is still connected to Murupara and goes to Tauranga and Rotorua, so this is considered as positive for a freight passenger and tourism services as a very attractive option as a good rail route.
This new Zero carbon Act will drive up the cost of road freight as it has been established that the truck freight ‘Carbon footprint’ emission rates are far higher (5 to 8 times) higher than the rail emissions rate comparison are at moving each tonne/km the stats shows.
Long term best solution is to use far more rail freight and passenger services to give funding to upgrade the rail network in all regions to expand rail freight/passenger services.
Secretary.
CEAC.
The National government increased the total weight maximum of loaded trucks to 53 tonnes in 2010.
Is it just a co-incidence that roads are in such a poor condition along major trucking routes or that new roads are crumbling a few months after they are opened?
Yes Mike,
We have been monitoring the roads in HB/Gisborne for secveral years now and the cost of road “pavement and repair costs of maintainence has increased with the relationship of incresed size of trucks and the volumes used.
There is a clear link between use of and cause of damage/cost to the road damages now.
We also have studies that confirm that the incresed size/weight/number iof tryes on each truck is proportate to the werar of the roads.
In one US study an engineer has found that the wear of one truck can cause up to at least 10 000 times damage more to the road than one car.
So we can now expect the roads to deteriote the roads faster each time truck use inceases.
Best the government move to bring in “user pays” policies on our roads now before trucks cause us all to become bankrupt.
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