New tool to help road managers and industry understand the impact of heavy vehicle assets

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has released Freight PASS, a new online tool designed to help users compare the productivity, asset impact, safety and sustainability trade-offs of different heavy vehicle configurations.

The new web app enables users to compare a range of safety, productivity, pavement wear and sustainability outcomes when different vehicle types are used to undertake a particular freight task.

Chief Safety and Productivity Officer Matt d’Abbs said the NHVR had invested in the digital tools to support both governments and industry in filling ‘information gaps’.

“Managing a heavy vehicle fleet or road asset means balancing competing factors like safety, sustainability and productivity, which is only further complicated when the impacts of different vehicle types are unknown,” Mr d’Abbs said.

“Freight PASS can make comparisons across vehicle operating costs, travel time, crash likelihood, climate change impacts, pavement wear and other measures.

“For example, it can show the relative benefits of moving from a standard 26m B-double to a 30m PBS A-double, which can reduce trip volumes by about 25% alongside improved safety, health and economic outcomes.

“Having merged the new tool with the Pavement Impact Comparison Calculator, this new version of Freight PASS offers better usability and a more comprehensive digital offering for anyone seeking to understand the impact of heavy vehicles.”

Rather than focusing on a single trip, Mr d’Abbs also said Freight PASS was designed to allow users to consider the cumulative impacts of freight movements over time.

“Trucks generally make the same trip hundreds or thousands of times, so decisions about heavy vehicle operations and network impacts are best focused on the overall freight task, rather than single journeys,” he said.

“Freight PASS enables a clearer understanding of how vehicle choice can influence long-term safety risk, environmental impact and economic productivity.”

For road managers, the tool will offer greater road asset and vehicle insights, including the relative pavement wear and emissions benefits of an electric heavy vehicle compared to a diesel counterpart.

Road managers can use Freight PASS to modify vehicle details, such as axle groups, mass distribution and tyre dimensions, to allow for clear comparisons between configurations.

For industry, the tool can help operators fill information gaps, so they can identify vehicle designs better aligned with road manager considerations before applying for an access permit or expanding their fleet.

Mr d’Abbs said the NHVR hoped Freight PASS would assist government and industry as the heavy vehicle landscape moved beyond traditional vehicle designs.

“Using the tool can help with understanding how fewer vehicles carrying a greater amount of freight may have positive environmental and safety outcomes,” he said.

“Developed under the NHVR’s Heavy Vehicle Productivity Plan 2025–2030, Freight PASS can support a forward-focused industry by allowing greater visibility of productivity, safety and sustainability metrics.

“Our productivity offerings in NHVR Go are designed to equip stakeholders with more information and to assist decision making.”

Freight PASS is free to use and can be accessed via the digital hub, NHVR Go.