Remove the loading zone and the freight task doesn’t disappear

Taking away delivery space can leave a transport operator doing the same job with more driving, walking and waiting.

Phil Bullock, managing director of NineSquared and primary author of the Austroads Urban Freight Scoping Study, raised the issue in an interview with WWTG.

The Austroads study examined urban freight in Australia and New Zealand through a literature review and consultation with 56 stakeholders from 30 organisations. It found growing, increasingly complex freight demand alongside inconsistent planning and data.

Bullock was speaking as the study’s author and an industry practitioner, rather than on behalf of Austroads.

His point is straightforward: removing a loading zone does not remove the delivery. The vehicle may circle longer or stop farther from the customer, shifting the cost into driver time and vehicle use.

The problem can begin well before the first truck arrives. Loading docks, vehicle access and servicing arrangements decided during development can shape freight movements for decades.

For operators, that makes access part of the commercial task. A short trip can still be an expensive delivery if the vehicle cannot reach a suitable unloading point.

The practical questions belong in planning and customer discussions: where can the truck stop, what equipment can reach the goods, and how long does the whole delivery take?

Better servicing arrangements help the operator complete the work while reducing unnecessary movements around the precinct.