The Utilisation of Commercial Vehicles in Urban Areas

Abstract

This paper examines the utilisation of commercial vehicles in the greater Sydney metropolitan region. It is based on an analysis of data from the 1991/92 Commercial Vehicle Survey (CVS) undertaken by the Transport Data Centre at the Department of Transport in New South Wales, Australia. This survey provides prima facie evidence that vehicle productivity could be improved. Data is presented on the proportion of the vehicles working on an average week day, the average number of trips made on any one day and the average time spent travelling each day. Notwithstanding the fact that the results could be biased due to survey response factors and the knowledge that there was a recession in 1991/92, the values for these indices are relatively low. The paper considers possible reasons for the low level of vehicle utilisation and the implications for road network planning and logistics management.