Benefits of performance based standards for heavy vehicles.

The benefits and costs to different stakeholders of the introduction of Performance Based Standards (PBS) in road freight transport were estimated from a number of case studies. The case studies were derived from industry surveys and each involved changes to vehicles and/or operations similar to those likely to occur as a result of change from prescriptive regulation to PBS. Spreadsheet models of the case studies enabled quantification of the costs and benefits to operators, other road users, road agencies and the community of the introduction of PBS. For a level of industry take-up of PBS operations building to a total of 10 percent over ten years, the net present value of total benefits minus costs, at the national level, was estimated to be of the order of $500 million, realised over the same ten-year period. In addition, it was found that: the benefits flow principally from productivity improvements in the industry. A level of total take-up different from the 10 percent assumed in the analysis would therefore change the estimated net benefits proportionally. (Author/publisher) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E208431.