The Government will continue to focus on trucks and heavy commercial vehicles which it says to use about a third of transport energy.
The heavy vehicle sector consumes about 20% of all transport energy – about one billion litres of diesel per annum, says Transport Minister Simon Bridges.
“Many fleet operators are not aware they can make significant savings through fuel efficiency,” he says.
“At the end of 2014/15, heavy vehicle fleets consuming a total of 7% of heavy vehicle diesel use are implementing a fuel saving programme,” says Bridges.
According to the minister, Greenhouse gas emissions – or GHGs – from road transport are 69% higher now than in 1990.
From the Government’s perspective, Bridges says the heavy transport sector can make a big impact on reducing New Zealand’s GHG emissions.
“EECA’s Heavy Vehicle Fuel Efficiency Programme, which started in 2012, helps heavy vehicle fleets to save fuel, reduce CO2 emissions and also leads to greater road safety and reduced maintenance costs,” says Bridges.
“The focus is on working alongside fleet managers to put fuel management action plans in place,” he says.
“As just one example of the success of the programme, TIL Freight Group has seen early fuel savings of 7% – with better environmental management becoming increasingly important to their customers,” says Bridges.
“While the Government has a clear role to play in areas such as price monitoring, it fully supports and is encouraged by innovation led by the sector,” he says.
“These are bringing tangible benefits to consumers and the environment and are driving efficiencies into the economy,” says Bridges.
