Freight & Trade Alliance (FTA) and the Australian Peak Shippers Association (APSA) attended a Department of Transport (DoT) freight industry roundtable on 15 December 2025 regarding the upcoming closure of the Fremantle Traffic Bridge and the resulting congestion impacts on the Stirling Bridge and surrounding road network.
What is being proposed
The Department advised that it is considering restricting loaded container trucks from using the Stirling Bridge and nearby freight routes during morning and/or afternoon peak periods, potentially for up to two hours per peak.
This follows traffic modelling that anticipates approximately 23,000 additional passenger vehicles per day diverting to the Stirling Bridge once the Fremantle Traffic Bridge closes.
Industry position
FTA, APSA and other freight stakeholders have raised serious concerns with this approach, noting that: - Restricting truck access does not reduce freight demand – it simply displaces it
- Container logistics cannot be paused during peak hours
- Peak-hour bans will push freight into tighter windows, creating bottlenecks, congestion elsewhere, and higher costs across the supply chain
FTA has made it clear that it does not support any peak-hour bans or access restrictions for container trucks servicing Fremantle Inner Harbour.
Timing concerns
We are extremely disappointed that this freight roundtable has occurred less than seven weeks before the bridge closure, despite earlier discussions with Fremantle Ports 12–18 months ago regarding congestion mitigation.
What industry is advocating for instead
FTA, in coordination with Container Transport Alliance Australia (CTAA) and Western Roads Federation (WRF), is calling for productivity-based solutions, including:
- Expanded use of High Productivity Freight Vehicles (HPFVs) to reduce total truck movements
- Support for night and weekend operations
- Increased rail utilisation for import containers
- Policies focused on moving more freight with fewer trucks, rather than restricting access
Next steps
FTA is working closely with CTAA, WRF and other industry stakeholders to present a unified position to government and will continue to advocate for practical, evidence-based solutions developed in genuine partnership with industry.
Further updates will be provided as discussions progress.