A new organisation has been formed by transport Industry leaders who say they have joined forces to help truck operators reduce fuel costs and make smarter decisions about the future of their fleets.
The new organisation, known as FleetLeap was launched at the recent NatRoad National Conference on the Gold Coast, with the organisation claiming to bring together transport industry associations, energy experts, and technology providers, in order to give trucking businesses practical, independent advice on fuel efficiency, emissions, and the transition to electric trucks.
The alliance says that it will provide free information and guidance to operators, including small businesses that often lack the time and resources to investigate new technologies or experiment with different practices.
FleetLeap says it is bringing together the Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA), NatRoad, the Queensland Transport and Logistics Council (QTLC), the Australian Alliance for Energy Productivity (A2EP), National Transport Insurance (NTI), NewVolt, JET Charge and MOV3MENT.
The founding partners claim that together they represent almost 3,000 businesses across Australia’s freight, logistics and energy sectors.
The alliance claims that it will launch with four support areas before expanding to more including a new information hub to provide practical advice on reducing fuel consumption and emissions all in one place, a regular electric truck market report, comparing models available in Australia and their specifications, a fleet advice service helping operators understand their opportunities, including whether electric trucks are suitable for their business and how to make the switch and also what t calls ‘Run on Less Australia’, which it says is a real-world demonstration of how electric trucks perform on Australian roads, on real routes carrying real freight.
The managing director of Mov3ment, Mark Gjerek said the new initiative will help businesses make informed decisions without wasting money on solutions that may not suit their operations.
“Every litre of diesel saved makes a difference. Something as simple as choosing the right tyres or fitting aerodynamic fairings can reduce fuel costs by up to five per cent,” Gjerek said.
“We’re also seeing differences of more than 20 per cent in fuel consumption between drivers operating the same truck. That’s money businesses could be saving right now,” he added.
“Electric trucks are becoming viable for more operators so that is one focus area, but they don’t yet work everywhere, and we want businesses to understand all opportunities to reduce fuel costs and emissions that make commercial sense for them,” he said.
The CEO of NatRoad, Warren Clark said smaller operators in particular needed practical advice they could trust.
“Most trucking businesses are small operations. Their owners are focused on keeping trucks moving and making ends meet, not spending weeks researching new technologies,” Clark said.
“With diesel prices where they are, even modest savings can make a real difference to a business’s bottom line. Operators need to know what they can do today to reduce costs, while understanding the options available for the future.”
The HVIA, which is representing suppliers in the road freight sector, said through its CEO Todd Hacking said that all the members of the alliance have been supporting the freight industry to become more sustainable.
“We’ve held two very successful editions of TruckShowX showing these technologies in action,” Hacking said.
“Fleet Leap shows we can work together as an industry to not duplicate projects, and coordinate and connect our efforts across the sector and with government,” Hacking said.
FleetLeap says it has received funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to support some of its electric truck initiatives, including the Run on Less event.
ARENA CEO Darren Miller said this project creates a forum for collaboration that the freight industry hasn’t had at this scale to-date.
“By bringing these stakeholders together in one alliance, it gives the industry a vital platform to coordinate efforts, share what they learn, and move faster together,” Miller said.
“This is a challenge no single company could solve alone,” he said.
The new alliance says it will continue to expand its resources, including practical tools, industry data, and case studies to help operators make informed decisions.
The CEO of the QTLC, Lauren Hewitt, highlighted the strong appetite for independent information.
“With technology and costs constantly changing, operators and precincts need to regularly assess their options, and this takes time and effort,”Hewitt said.
“By collaborating to provide an independent and tech-agnostic platform, we’re aiming to inform and de-risk the productivity pathway,” she said.
The CEO of A2EP Jarrod Leak said that it has been supporting freight decarbonisation for more than a decade.,
“Fleets want to cut costs and their customers want reduced supply chain emissions. Both are possible, but fleet owners need trustworthy, actionable information, and that’s what FleetLeap offers,”Leak said
The CEO of JET Charge, Tim Washington said trucks are where electrification can deliver the biggest savings in cost and emissions.
“Our analysis shows a 100-vehicle heavy fleet could save around $4.5 million a year in fuel by switching to electric,” Washington said.
“FleetLeap will give operators clear, independent advice on where electric trucks work today, and we’ll help them get the charging right,” Washington added.
Rainer Knobloch, the co-founder of NewVolt said he sees similar benefits, noting that fleet electrification will play out over decades.
“Putting one or two electric trucks on the road is the easy part, most operators need help working out how to get from there to a scaled fully electric fleet, and that information just isn’t out there for Australian fleets yet,” Knobloch said.
Leading transport and logistics insurance specialist NTI says that it sees an important role in supporting the industry as it navigates the transition to lower-emissions transport.
NTI’s chief people and services officer, Kerrie Challenor said that joining FleetLeap was a natural extension of that commitment.
“Decarbonisation is a significant challenge for the transport and logistics industry, and the transition will look different for different operators,” Challenor said.
“We want to support the industry by helping ensure businesses have access to practical, trusted information that enables them to make informed decisions about the technologies and solutions that are right for their operations,” she added
FleetLeap claims that other organisations across the freight supply chain are invited and encouraged to participate or to register for updates.
