Transport Certification Australia Limited (TCA), the company administering the Intelligent Access Program (IAP), has congratulated Australian Container Freight Services (ACFS) for using the IAP to help achieve a productivity increase of up to 100 per cent. ACFS specialises in transporting containerised freight and has operations in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.
In New South Wales, ACFS has begun operating a super B-double on a confined road network in the Port Botany precinct. The vehicle is operating under the Performance Based Standards scheme with the IAP.
The configuration of the super B-double allows ACFS to move two 40-foot containers per trip, as opposed to a standard B-double which can only carry one container this size. This capacity has the potential to deliver a 100 per cent increase in productivity for ACFS in situations where the freight task only requires the transport of 40-foot containers.
In the case of 20-foot containers, the super B-double’s additional length also allows for one extra 20- foot container to be carried compared to a standard B-double – an increase from three 20-foot containers to four per trip.
General Manager of ACFS in New South Wales Adam Holland said the company was proud to have the first road registered super B-double in New South Wales. Mr Holland said that ACFS’ clients were mindful of the implications of chain of responsibility laws and were impressed by ACFS participating in the IAP as it demonstrates the company takes its compliance responsibilities seriously.
According to the New South Wales Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA), the PBS scheme is a different approach to vehicle regulation, focusing on how the vehicle behaves on the road, rather than its length and mass, through a set of safety and infrastructure protection standards.
As well as the RTA, ACFS worked with the Sydney Ports Authority in order to get the super B-double into operation.
TCA Chief Executive Officer Chris Koniditsiotis says ACFS is another excellent example of a transport operator using the IAP to deliver improvements to their business.
"It’s very rewarding to begin to see transport operators taking advantage of the benefits the IAP can bring to their operation. It’s also very rewarding to see road authorities, in this case the RTA, use the IAP to assist with the introduction of higher productivity freight vehicles.
"I have often used the term ‘win-win’ to describe the IAP and I think this is another great example of that," Mr Koniditsiotis said.