Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia (CCAA) has welcomed the Queensland Freight Delivery Plan 2026, saying commitments on heavy vehicle access, digital access decisions, off-peak freight and industrial land protection could help Queensland deliver its growing housing, infrastructure and energy pipeline.
Queensland’s freight task is projected to grow by 20 per cent by 2032, with the five-year Plan containing 70 actions to strengthen freight productivity, reliability and safety.
Of importance to CCAA are actions to establish a long-term vision for Performance Based Standards (PBS) vehicle access, implement the National Automated Access System (NAAS), assess higher-load access and trial more flexible urban operating hours.
CCAA Chief Executive Officer Michael Kilgariff said the commitments aligned closely with reforms sought by the heavy construction materials industry.
“Queensland has a major housing and infrastructure task ahead, but supplying the materials is only half the job. Cement, concrete and aggregates must also be moved efficiently from fixed quarries, terminals and plants to the projects that need them,” Mr Kilgariff said.
“Our freight task is local, heavy, high-frequency and time-sensitive. We need access arrangements that recognise and reward the superior safety and engineering capability of modern PBS vehicles and improve first- and last-mile access on local council roads.
“NAAS has the potential to replace repetitive permit processes with vehicle-specific network maps and digital access conditions, providing greater certainty for operators and road managers.”
CCAA has identified an initial 44 priority South-East QLD construction-material routes for assessment by the Department of Transport and Main Roads for improved access, and is also examining the potential to give assurances to local and state governments and communities of the industry’s performance.
“The telematics proof of concept study would test whether third-party verified data can give road managers sufficient confidence to make different mass and operating-hours decisions,” Mr Kilgariff said.
“Representing 15% of the current SEQ heavy construction materials freight task, and subject to engineering assessment and road-manager decisions, indicative CCAA analysis suggests relatively small changes to allowable masses and operating hours could avoid more than 11,000 loaded truck movements each year in SEQ resulting in less truck and car interactions, reduced freight and consumer costs, and lower pollution.”
Mr Kilgariff said more flexible operating hours are increasingly important for construction-materials supply – especially in SEQ with the unprecedented construction and freight task that is forecast.
“Quarry dispatch hours, road curfews, batching-plant receival hours and housing and construction-site delivery windows frequently do not align, concentrating movements into peak periods and leaving productive vehicles and scarce drivers underutilised.
“We want targeted trials to determine whether verified telematics data can support more flexible early AM and nigh-time operations while maintaining safety, infrastructure protection, noise controls and community amenity.”
The Plan also commits to better integrating freight into planning, protecting significant industrial areas from incompatible development and evaluating higher-load access.
“Quarries, cement terminals and concrete plants require secure land and workable freight connections close to the projects and communities they supply – particularly operations in Key Resource Areas,” Mr Kilgariff said.
It is essential that the transport routes serving these operations are clearly identified and protected through local planning decisions. Careful management of development along these routes can minimise land-use conflicts, maintain community amenity and avoid future restrictions that could affect the efficient delivery of essential construction materials.
“CCAA looks forward to working with government, industry and road managers to turn the Plan’s commitments into measurable improvements for Queensland’s housing and infrastructure delivery.”