The Grattan truck plan: practical policies for cleaner freight

The report calls for a range of measures to reduce the pollution impacts of old trucks including low emission zones for Sydney and Melbourne within the next three years, that would ban diesel trucks more than two decades old.

It’s sobering reading but it’s gratifying when major reports such as this back up everything we’ve been saying for years!

There are now two expert reports calling on governments to address the issue of old trucks in urban areas due to their health impacts on local communities – one by Austroads and now this one by the Grattan Institute.

Both reports single out the City of Maribyrnong as a perfect example of a highly impacted community.

Both reports call for a low emission zone.

Both reports call for financial support for industry to upgrade the fleet, highlighting the crucial work that trucks do.

Both reports have calculated the cost to the health system to keep these old trucks running and its absolutely massive.

This must end.  Addressing this problem is good for the economy, good for community and good for industry. Government cannot ignore this any longer.

This was reported on widely in the media, including The Age, Star Weekly and Fully Loaded.

The Grattan Institute also released a very informative podcast about their report.

As lead author and Grattan Institute’s transport and cities program director Marion Terrill says, “the country needs to act faster to limit the harm that trucks cause to people’s health and the environment.”  “People think low-emission zones are a big deal, but it is really a very well accepted policy overseas, and it shouldn’t be seen as radical,”

In May 2023 Marion Terrill wrote an opinion piece titled ‘Dirty old trucks and sick kids. Melbourne, we’ve got a problem in the west’ which was published in The Age.  She was also interviewed on ABC Melbourne on the day this piece was published.

This opinion piece is published on the Grattan Institute’s website with the stark headline “Truck pollution kills“.

Says it all – Truck Pollution Kills!