The freight industry could save taxpayers millions of dollars and prevent deaths with just a few key changes, a new report has found.With the country’s freight tasks set to increase by 26 per cent by 2056, the government needs to invest in rail rather than truck transport, the McKell Institute says.While the industry largely relies on trucks to move goods, the continuation would create “an unfair and unsustainable burden on the community”. “Capturing just 30 per cent of this future growth on rail would deliver a massive $640m annual dividend to the national economy, save 400 million litres of diesel, and prevent 18 fatal road accidents every year by 2050,” the report said. The proposed move would remove 16,000 long haul trucks from Australian roads, potentially preventing deaths. The McKell Institute’s Queensland executive director Sarah Mawhinney said it would be “unrealistic and damaging to expect the road transport sector to shoulder” the increased burden of a predicted freight “boom”. “We cannot simply dump millions of tonnes of extra freight onto our major highways and expect drivers to cope. It will clog roads and put lives at risk,” Ms Mawhinney said. “Governments have spent years measuring rail against the cost of a truck, without counting what it costs the country in congestion, road maintenance and lives lost when nearly all of this freight growth is left to default to roads.“By allowing rail to carry the heavy, long-distance loads we take the pressure off the highways and support a safer and more sustainable trucking industry, making freight cheaper, cleaner and safer for all.”The report also found rail transport could protect Australians “from future fuel shocks”, finding the infrastructure is 2.5 more fuel efficient than trucks. Rail, Tram and Bus Union national secretary Alex Claassens said the movement from “long-haul freight to rail (would create) a strategic shield”. “With Australia importing more than 90 per cent of our liquid fuel and any global conflicts that arise, we expose our road-dependent supply chains to severe shortages,” Mr Claassens said. “Rail is 2.5 times more fuel-efficient than road, so shifting more freight onto rail helps the country maintain resilience and keep moving when fuel supply lines come under threat.”