The International Road Federation (IRF) invited New Zealand transport technology company EROAD, to present at a regional transport connectivity forum in Podgorica, Montenegro recently.
This forum gave government ministers and transport authorities from across Eastern Europe an opportunity to learn about international best practice in transport investments that support regional connectivity and economic development.
Attendees were keen to learn from EROAD because the company pioneered technology that has already delivered NZ$2.5 billion to the New Zealand Transport Agency, for the sustainability of NZ’s transport network. The company’s products and services are also delivering significant decreases in road incidents within the commercial vehicles that have installed EROAD technology.
Nina Elter, EROAD’s Senior Vice President of Global Market Development, presented the evolution of EROAD’s easy to use system. Around 46% of heavy vehicle road user charges in New Zealand are now collected through EROAD, using technology specifically created to deliver reliably accurate transport information.
Nina showed how the company’s single source platform has simplified and reduced administration costs of regulatory services, and provided alternative options for infrastructure funding, simultaneously delivering commercial benefits to transport operators. For example, off-road refunds are more transparent and easily calculated, enabling road user charges to be made in manageable increments.
The EROAD system has been engineered to provide solutions that are mutually beneficial for both regulatory and commercial operators. Consequently, EROAD gets invited to help solve complex transport issues in all the markets it currently operates in – North America, Australia, and within its homeland of New Zealand.
Fuel tax revenues have traditionally been the foundation of government funding for transport infrastructure however these are declining as vehicles transition to environmentally sustainable alternatives. Automated vehicles will affect other funding sources like licensing and parking fees, creating funding gaps at a time when supply chain logistics is increasing distances travelled. The road transport industry already operates in a highly competitive and regulated environment, with low margins.
Steven Newman, CEO of EROAD said “Most countries are facing the same issues: How to pay for and maintain roading infrastructure, and how to improve safety on roads. It was an honour indeed to have such an esteemed group acknowledge the difference EROAD is making in delivering safer, more productive roads”.
The IRF have also invited Nina Elter and EROAD’s Director of Analytics Gareth Robins, to speak at the IRF Global ‘Roads to Tomorrow’ conference in Las Vegas this November.
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About the Transport Connectivity Forum
- This forum was organised by the IRF in conjunction with the Ministry of Transport & Maritime Affairs of Montenegro and covered the key topics of Infrastructure Investments & Financing, New Road Management Models and Safer Roads
- Further information on this forum can be found here: https://www.irf.global/event/irf19-montenegro/#tab-1-0-about
About the International Road Federation (IRF)
- The International Road Federation is a global not-for-profit organization, headquartered in Washington, DC since 1948 and supported by regional offices throughout the world. The IRF serves a network of public and private sector members in more than 70 countries by providing world-class knowledge resources, advocacy services, and continuing education programs which together offer a global marketplace for best practices and industry solutions.
- The IRF Global Roads to Tomorrow conference will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada November 19-22 2019. The conference is the international meeting point for leading transport innovators, researchers and stakeholders that will help build tomorrow’s transport infrastructure today.
About EROAD
- EROAD believes every community deserves safer roads that can be sustainably funded. This is why EROAD develops technology solutions (products and services) that manage vehicle fleets, support regulatory compliance, improve driver safety and reduce the costs associated with driving. EROAD also provides valuable insights and data analytics to universities, government agencies and others who research, trial and evaluate future transport networks. This data enables those who use the roads to influence the design, management and funding of future transport networks.
- EROAD launched with the purpose of modernizing New Zealand’s paper-based road user charging system. By 2009 EROAD had introduced the world’s first nationwide electronic road user charging system and now around 46% of collected heavy vehicle road user charges in New Zealand are being collected using EROAD technology. By March 2019, this had delivered NZ$2.5B to NZTA for the sustainability of the NZ transport network. In the USA EROAD introduced the first electronic Weight Mile Tax service (2014) and the first independently verified Electronic Logging Device service (2017).
- EROAD (ERD) is listed on the NZX, employs almost 300 staff located across NZ, Australia and North America.