NZTD News

It’s been a tumultuous couple of weeks with Mr Trump being Mr Trump and causing international chaos for reasons known to him.

We can’t do much about tariffs on penguins and whatever else has been thrown around, but what we continue to focus on are things that make us a better industry.

We saw some of that this week with a meat processor in Canterbury who was putting out some very confusing comms about what trucks arriving at the plant have to do. At first it was they had to use the effluent dump before they arriv...

The government continues to make good on its promise of improving national and regional roading, with two major projects announced this week which will be well received by road freight operators around the country.

First announced was the Melling Road of Regional Significance (RORS), a grade-separated interchange and bridge on SH2 in the Hutt Valley. Construction will start this year according to the Minister of Transport Chris Bishop, ear marking $1b of investment to improve a major interchange that sees 40,...

The Light Traffic Index (LTI) continues to bounce around a fairly flat trend, up 0.1% in March and down 0.4% y/y. The more volatile Heavy Traffic Index (HTI) fell 2.1%, to be up 2.3% y/y. 

Light traffic (motorbikes, cars and vans) is generally a good indicator of the state of demand, as opposed to production. It typically provides a six-month lead on momentum in the economy, and variation reflects discretionary spending on outings, movement of couriers and tradespeople etc.

The trend in light traffic is mild...

Upper Hutt residents and regular travellers between the Hutt Valley and the Remutaka Hill on State Highway 2 can look forward to safer travels in the future.

Roxanne Hilliard, Wellington Transport Alliance Manager, says safety improvements and road rebuild work are planned near Totara Park from late April until late June.

“Contractors will undertake various improvements, beginning with drainage work in April and May, a road rebuild in May/early June, and installing new median safety barriers and line marking from...

In a leap toward sustainability, Allied Petroleum has become the first in New Zealand to test Mobil Ethos+ Renewable Diesel R20 (R20) in a trial aimed at transforming the nation’s transport industry. This innovative fuel, produced in partnership with ExxonMobil Australia and New Zealand, boasts a unique composition of 20% renewable diesel derived from used cooking oil—repurposing waste into clean energy while maintaining the performance of traditional diesel. 

The trial involves five Allied Petroleum fuel tankers ...

Auckland’s rail network will be completely closed for 16 days, from April 12th to April 27th, 2025, to facilitate critical upgrades and renewal projects in preparation for the City Rail Link (CRL), set to open in 2026. While these upgrades are essential to modernising the city’s rail infrastructure, the closure will suspend all rail activities, forcing freight transport to shift from rail to road. This will have notable consequences for Auckland’s transport network. 

The suspension of freight trains during the clo...