The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) under its Road Research Programme (RRP), established a coordinating group on the impact of heavy goods vehicles to develop a matrix of impacts with a view to formulating a systems approach. Member countries agreed to submit national contributions containing the most relevant available data and research results. This report was submitted as the Australian contribution. It includes recent research, studies, regulations and inquiries concerning heavy vehicles, the infrastructure vehicle design, environmental and social effects, road safety, traffic and costs. Results given are particularly relevant to the areas of economics of heavy vehicle limits, pavement and bridge loading, vehicle suspension effects, truck speeds, overtaking times, fatigue in long distance drivers, and the operation of road trains and exceptional permit vehicles. Evaluation and comparison of all countries' input data as the study develops should lead to useful insights into australian heavy vehicle regulations and operations and areas where further research is needed (a). The ISBN of the microfiche version is 0 86910 011 4.
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