Tasmanian Freight Survey
The Tasmanian Freight Survey 2021-22
The Tasmanian Freight Survey (the survey) is a regular survey of supply chains and the heavy vehicle freight movements across Tasmania, undertaken by the Department of State Growth. The results of the Survey are used to inform planning for Tasmania’s future freight transport system. The 2016-17 Survey is the sixth survey conducted to date. Previous surveys have been held every 3 years from 2002-03 to 2016-17.
Data collected in the survey is primarily gathered through interviews and reported data from businesses across a range of industries in Tasmania, including agriculture, construction inputs, consumer goods, forestry, and mining. Since 2002-03, the survey has collected consistent data on the operation of Tasmania’s freight system, including:
- origin and destination
- commodity mass and type
- frequency of trips
- transport mode and vehicle type.
The Department of State Growth is currently collecting data on freight movements during 2021-22, to inform an updated Data Summary that will be released in 2023.
If you have any queries, please contact State Growth at:
Email: info@stategrowth.tas.gov.au
Phone: 1800 030 688
What is the aim of the survey?
At a State wide level to provide reliable and robust data concerning Tasmania's supply chains and the heavy freight land transport task to support description, analysis and modelling of the land transport freight task for policy development and planning purposes.
What does the survey cover?
The survey collects information about commodities moved by heavy vehicles and rail for Tasmania's major companies, providing a summary of large freight movements across the major parts of Tasmania's land transport network.
The Survey includes information on:
The survey collects information on specific freight movements, including:
- between industrial areas and across network segments (road and rail)
- to/from and through major ports
- to/from commercial industry
- freight tonnage
- commodity type, and
- mode and vehicle type.
How is the information from the survey used?
- Key uses for the data collected include:
- Informing strategy infrastructure policy and planning such as the Tasmanian Integrated Freight Strategy, Burnie to Hobart Freight Corridor Strategy and Time Sensitive Freight – understanding Tasmania’s Market
- Individual infrastructure projects and funding submissions
- Strategic frameworks, including the State Road Hierarchy and regional integrated transport plans, and
- Analysis and forecasting of potential impacts of freight-related developments on Tasmania’s freight network.
The Tasmanian Freight Survey 2016-17
The Tasmanian Freight Survey Data Summary Report 2016-17 (PDF)
Key Findings
Key results from the 2016-17 Freight Survey are as follows.
- In 2016-17, Tasmania’s total estimated freight task was 25.7 million tonnes, an increase of 8.9 per cent from 23.7 million tonnes in 2014-15.
- 23.7 million tonnes (88 per cent) of freight is transported on the road network, with three million tonnes (12 per cent) transported on rail.
- Of Tasmania’s publically owned ports, Burnie Port had the highest throughput (5.3 million tonnes), followed by Devonport (3.8 million tonnes), Bell Bay (3.6 million tonnes) and Hobart (1.5 million tonnes).
- 19.7 million (77 per cent tonnes) of freight in Tasmania is moved intra-regionally, compared to 5.9 million tonnes (23 per cent) inter-regional task.
- The North West is Tasmania’s largest freight producing region, with 11.7 million tonnes of freight originating in the region, compared to 8.3 million tonnes in the north and 5.7 million tonnes in the south.
- Forestry accounted for the largest freight task by volume (7.0 million tonnes, or 27 per cent), followed by construction inputs (5.9 million tonnes, or 23 per cent) and agriculture (5.0 million tonnes, or 19 per cent).
Previous Report
The Tasmanian Freight Survey Data Summary Report 2014-15 (PDF)