Framework for trialling road freight ITS begins in Australia

The Victoria Government in Australia is sponsoring a new framework to trial technology on the state’s road network that will improve the operation of heavy vehicles and promote Victoria as Australia’s freight and logistics capital.

Minister for Roads, Luke Donnellan, called on the heavy vehicle, freight and Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) industries to develop innovative approaches to using intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and associated technology to improve the productivity and safety of road freight transport in Victoria.

4728 VicRoads and 7205 Transport Certification Australia (TCA) will assess proposals against a set of strategic and technical principles and implement trials over the next 12 months.
They will be looking for a wide range of innovative ideas, including technologies that can improve traffic signals for heavy vehicles, advise drivers of rest area locations so they can manage fatigue, alert them of low clearance routes or other restricted routes or link them with the rail network to help avoid delays around rail crossings.

This initiative is part of the Victorian Freight and Logistics Plan which aims to develop freight technology demonstration projects that improve the way we manage Victoria’s roads and improve transport and logistics routes.

Luke Donnellan commented, “Our state is the freight and logistics capital of Australia. “We’re working with businesses, using their knowledge and their ideas to make our freight industry safer and more efficient.”

VicRoads director of Road Operations, Dean Zabrieszach, said “VicRoads and Transport Certification Australia are asking the heavy vehicle, freight and ITS industries to come forward with innovative proposals to trial ITS and technologies that can make the freight and logistics sector safer and more reliable.”

“With many parts of the road transport industry already considered to be early adopters of innovative technologies, this initiative opens the door for ground-breaking approaches to the deployment of technologies which can improve the efficiency, reliability and safety of road freight transport,” said TCA chief executive officer Chris Koniditsiotis.

“Moreover, this initiative presents an opportunity to demonstrate the deployment of Cooperative ITS (C-ITS) technologies – commonly referred to as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) and vehicle-to-centre (V2C) connectivity.”

If a trial of a technology proves successful, VicRoads can build a business case for securing Victorian Government funding to further develop and implement that technology across the road transport sector.