Heavy vehicle permitting, bridge assessment and the potential impact on sustainability and the economy

The advancement of technology in the freight industry has enabled heavy vehicles to become larger and heavier. For bridges, the load effects of these heavy vehicles are often larger than the load effects of the original design loading. As a result, heavy vehicles either need to reduce their total payload, travel on an alternative route or the asset owner needs to invest to upgrade the limiting structures. Options to reduce payload or travel alternative routes not only limit economic productivity, but the inefficient freight movement also leads to unproductive emissions of CO2. Whilst upgrading the limiting structures will lead to more efficient freight movement, the replacement of the structure itself is also prone to emissions of CO2. It is therefore evident that the most sustainable and economically beneficial option is to manage the access of heavy vehicles using the infrastructure that is currently available. The way in which freight access decisions are made varies significantly from country to country and even jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Whilst most have begun to automate permitting systems, there are varying levels of automation and assessment used to inform freight access decisions. This paper will discuss some of the permitting strategies currently used and explore the potential benefits of implementing an advanced permitting system that can provide real-time permits for heavy vehicles

Media Info

  • Pagination: 9p
  • Monograph Title: 11th Austroads Bridge Conference, Adelaide, 15th-18th November 2022

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01901748
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Source Agency: ARRB Group Limited
  • Files: ITRD, ATRI
  • Created Date: Dec 7 2023 2:54PM