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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 Building Tasmania (formerly the Department of State Growth). The results of the Survey are used to inform planning for Tasmania’s future freight transport system. The 2021-22 Survey is the seventh survey conducted to date. Previous surveys have been held every three 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.

If you have any queries, please contact Building Tasmania at:

Email: info@building.tas.gov.au

Phone: 1800 030 688

What is the aim of the survey?

At a statewide 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 2021-22

The Tasmanian Freight Survey Data Summary Report 2021-22 (PDF 5.7 MB)

Key Findings

The key findings were 99% of imports/exports moved by sea, 88% of freight by mass moved by road, 24% by tonne-kms moved by rail

The key findings were 10.2 million tonnes of freight originates in the north west, 75% of freight journeys are intra-regional, 54% of freight travels less than 50km