Konferens: HVTT12: International Symposium on Heavy Vehicle Transport Technology, 2012, Stockholm

This paper examines the impact of regulation on trucking in Australia and Canada by applying evolution theory. By drawing an analogy between regulatory environments and animal habitats, and another between animal species and truck configurations, the examination focuses on how changes to the regulatory ‘habitat’ can figuratively lead to the evolution of more productive truck ‘species’. Evidence of such ‘evolution’ in trucking is presented using three case studies. These case studies demonstrate: (a) the evolution of a single truck species (the truck and dog) in response to the introduction of performance-based standards in Australia; (b) evolution within a regional Canadian trucking fleet as truck species flourish or become extinct in response to changing size and weight limits; and (c) the proliferation of longer combination vehicles in Canada as a result of an expanded highway network (or habitat). Examination of the evidence leads to the development of a number of guiding principles for trucking regulation.