The role of service stations will evolve with new fuel types and changing vehicle fleets, ATA CEO, Mathew Munro, told a national petroleum conference last month.
The ATA boss told the 2025 Asia Pacific Fuel Industry Forum, held on the Gold Coast, that Australia’s trucking industry would continue to need fuel suppliers and service station operators to provide good quality fuels, underpinned by reliable service models.
“Our heroes behind the wheel will still need good food, clean showers, rest facilities, and social connection,” he said.
Munro took the opportunity at the APFI forum to outline the ATA’s plan to reduce the trucking industry’s carbon emissions by way of a voucher scheme.
This proposal would feature a three-point action plan to reduce the cost of new technology solutions; create a low-carbon fuel standard to support the use of renewable diesel and the rollout of EV chargers and H2 refuelling stations; and provide more access for high productivity vehicles.
While in Queensland, Munro also spoke at the 2025 National Future Transport Summit in Brisbane about the future of automated transport in trucking.
The summit saw more than 170 delegates debate and agree on the 14 recommendations that will shape the Australia’s transport future.
Munro noted that trucking and transport issues, such as braking, lane keeping and adaptive cruise control were already in use calling for development of self-driving vehicles.
“Semi-automation offers some benefits, but if a driver must be ready to take control of the vehicle at any time, productivity gains are limited,” he said.
“To truly lift labour productivity, we must aim for full self-driving.
“For most freight tasks, we’d still need drivers in trucks, but this would enable them to take a rest or go through paperwork while the truck was driving itself.”
At the national summit, Munro welcomed a national regulator for automated vehicles, but urged states to adopt consistent road access rules to provide investment certainty.
Read more about the ATA’s actions in the national transport field.
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