Think Smarter, Not Harder

A couple of weeks ago I read an NBR article "Truckers see more costs ahead" [18/04/08] which outlines the cost disparity of road transport between New Zealand and Australia. Road transport is 103% more expensive in New Zealand than Australia! If that was not enough the government is looking to introduce new policies including an emissions trading scheme, the introduction of biofuels, and a shift to low-sulphur diesel. All these environmentally focused policies will increase costs even further.

Road Transport Forum chief executive Tony Friedlander said a proposal to increase the maximum payload from 44 to 50 tonnes to increase efficiency has been before the government for eight years. This increase could go some way to reduce the difference in price with Australia but more importantly decrease carbon emissions. A study has shown that this increase would be four times friendlier on the environment than a switch of New Zealand's fleet to biofuels. No alterations need to be made to the trucks as it is only the payload that is increased, and there will be no need to purchase more expensive biofuels.

So it seems there is a sensible, almost immediate solution to decreasing the carbon emissions of New Zealand's transport fleet yet the government is fixated on the 'silver bullet' that it thinks biofuels will provide. Why not increase the payload now and then introduce biofeuls when technology has made them more efficient. I thought that to save our planet we needed to act now? The current government thinks otherwise.