HEAVY VEHICLE MASS MANAGEMENT AT THE PORT OF FREMANTLE

With the large numbers of trucks carrying heavy shipping containers entering and leaving Fremantle Port, it is important to manage their compliance with gross mass and axle mass limits. In 1997, a mass management system was installed on Port Beach Road, the only access route to the port. The system, commonly known as Fremantle WIM was intended to assist industry and regulators alike in managing the mass of vehicles using the port. A key role of the system was to closely monitor the vehicles fitted with E-tags, vehicles permitted higher axle mass limits to carry the heaviest containers. The WIM component of the system weighs in accordance with specification but the many other elements of the ambitious system have not lived up to expectations. In December 2001 an extensive visual survey was carried out, monitoring the heavy vehicle activity. The data obtained from the survey was compared with the corresponding data from the WIM system. This paper reports on the system, the survey of late 2001 and the direction being considered for the future of container mass management at Fremantle Port. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E208097.