Pitch Stop

Pitch stop logo.

Australia's heavy vehicle sector is vital to the economic and social wellbeing of people and communities, with many challenges in need of urgent research and innovation. Help NHVR build a healthier, more productive, sustainable and safer heavy vehicle industry, by sharing your research.

What is Pitch Stop

Pitch Stop is a pilot national research competition designed to discover new post graduate level research in the heavy vehicle sector. The NHVR seeks research that helps improve the lives of drivers, communities, and the safety, sustainability, and productivity of the sector.

The inaugural Pitch Stop competition final was held on 20 October 2025 at the University of Western Australia, during the Australasian Road Safety Conference in Perth.

Six finalists presented on topics that included fatigue management, shipping container logistics, heavy vehicle safety policy, road merging behaviour, sustainable business decision making and driver monitoring with AI.

The competition was judged by the following esteemed road safety experts

  • Teresa Williams, President of The Australasian College of Road Safety (ACRS)
  • Associate Professor Paul Roberts, Deputy Director of the Western Australian Centre for Road Safety Research
  • Leanne Gill, Senior Policy Advisor, Safety & Productivity, NHVR

Winners

First Place

Eloise Demarti, The University of Western Australia - With Big Rigs Comes Big Responsibility

This study examined perceptions of safety in WA’s heavy vehicle industry, focusing on factors that undermine safety, resources that support people, and WA’s unique conditions. Findings highlight the importance of psychosocial and cultural factors in achieving safer outcomes in the heavy vehicle sector.

Second Place

Sajani Siriwardene, Deakin University - Driver Merging Preferences, Behaviour and Strategies in Work Zones

This research examined Light Vehicle (LV) lane changing behaviour among Heavy Vehicles (HV) and how these dynamics shift with increasing HV proportions. Findings highlighted that current merging strategies do not adequately account for HV needs. To address this gap, a novel early-merge strategy specifically designed for HVs was proposed that uses microsimulation modelling (VISSIM). The strategy demonstrated shorter queue lengths and improved travel times for HVs, offering a practical solution to enhance both safety and efficiency in work zones.

Third Place

Maryam Safarnezhad, University of NSW - Container Retrieval Optimization

This study applied machine learning techniques to find the optimal retrieval order for shipping containers stacked at ports while minimizing the shift from truck appointment schedules