Weekly News – NHVR scorecard, raising awareness on effluent

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NHVR RELEASES FIRST PERFORMANCE SCORECARD

The NHVR has released its first quarterly performance scorecard which highlights changes in service statistics and achievements from July 2014 – February 2015.

Key performance outcomes include:

  • 47 new access notices in place to drive down the initial demand for access permits;
  • 554 pre-approvals to facilitate “last mile” access on local council roads with 156 of these already lodged for gazettal to also remove the requirement for operators to obtain permits;
  • 2357 new PBS vehicle units certified with 584 safer, more efficient combinations on Australian roads;
  • 90% of valid permit applications are now delivered to road managers within one business day;
  • 93% of NHVAS requests resolved within 10 business days; and
  • Reduced the number of documents that need to be carried in the cab.

The full scorecard can be accessed here:

From the perspective of the ALRTA the main achievements have been:

  • Restructure of NHVR senior management and recruitment of highly skilled personnel;
  • Establishment of a high-level stakeholder reference group to deal with strategic issues and consult with participating jurisdictions;
  • Establishment of a dedicated Livestock and Rural Industry Operations Group;
  • Extension of the 160km log book exemption from NSW and QLD into SA, TAS and ACT;
  • Progress on the proposed Livestock and Rural Transporters AFM Template; and
  • Commitment to consider appropriate national chain of responsibility approaches to effluent containment as part of the NHVR compliance and enforcement strategy. There has been a massive turnaround in the NHVR performance over the past 4-5 months. After a short period of navel gazing the new CEO appears to have a strong grip on the organisation and is turning promises into outputs.

TRUCKING AUSTRALIA 2015

Photo Stuart St Clair Gordon Martin Mick Travlos ATA March 2015
Photo Stuart St Clair Gordon Martin Mick Travlos ATA March 2015

Last week I attended the ATA Council Meeting and Annual Conference ‘Trucking Australia 2015’ in Hobart, Tasmania.  All current ATA council members were reappointed to their positions and Noelene Watson will continue as Chair.

The new ATA CEO Chris Melham officially took over the reins of the ATA during the Conference and there was a fitting tribute to outgoing CEO Stuart St Clair.   There were several interesting session on business skills, reform / regulation, safety, building outstanding businesses, training and coping with a fuel emergency.

One of the highlights for me was the Kenworth Legends Luncheon at which Stuart St Clair interviewed our very own Gordon Martin as well as Mick Travlos.  Hobart served up great weather and great local produce.  I look forward to next year’s event on the Gold Coast.

RAISING AWARENESS ON EFFLUENT CONTAINMENT

RL13534_A Fine Mess - Effluent_The Land_19Mar15_Page_1Operators in and around NSW might have noticed the front page article in The Land last week titled ‘A Fine Mess – Carriers pay the cost of effluent crackdown’.  The article highlighted the shared responsibility of consignors to prepare stock correctly before transport and examined issues around fines, chain of responsibility, containment tanks and dumping points.  This follows similar articles in the southern publication Stock and Land over the last few months.

It is important that we raise awareness of this issues while we work with the NHVR to develop a nationally uniform chain of responsibility response.  Everyone needs to know what the law contains and what their responsibilities are.

We are also collecting information about fines or court notices that have been issued to drivers or operators so we can better understand the circumstances likely to lead to enforcement actions, laws being used, attitude of courts, size of the penalties applied and instances where chain of responsibility should apply.

If you have been breached for an effluent related matter, please let our office know.  We also ask that, if possible, you send us copies of related documentation and supporting photos.  All information will be treated in confidence and only used for the purpose of strengthening our case for action.

Also, on a related matter, we are seeking photos of best practice truck washes.  Do you use one that is covered or that has high wind-proof walls between bays?  Please take a picture next time you are there and send it through to us with a name/location.

BRAKING GROUP MEETS TO PROGRESS GUIDELINES

The ALRTA participated in a meeting this week to progress the development of industry guidelines to assist operators when mixing and matching truck and trailer combinations with different braking technologies.  The group comprises a range of operational and technical experts and the ALRTA is pleased with recent progress in identifying possible combinations and assessing their performance based on brake wear, control and roll stability. The group is aiming to release guidelines to industry around the middle of the year.

HAVE YOUR SAY ON ADVANCED BRAKING TECHNOLOGIES

ALRTA members are invited to have their say on truck/trailer advanced braking systems by filling out a new survey by the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development.

The survey focuses on your experience of different advanced braking systems, and will be used to help develop future ADRs in this area. It is a unique opportunity to share your knowledge of how these systems can be implemented in a trucking business as well as any operational issues you have experienced.

Whether you have fitted advanced braking systems or not, your feedback is important to ensure the survey provides a strong representation of the entire industry.

Both operational and maintenance considerations will be included in the survey, and members are encouraged to send the link to additional staff if required. The survey can be filled out multiple times.

The department estimates that it will take 15 – 20 minutes to complete the survey. Their privacy policy is available on the first page.

Take the survey now.

NTI RELEASES MAJOR ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REPORT

ALRTA National Sponsor NTI has recently released their Major Accident Investigation Report which is produced by the National Truck Accident Research Centre.   The report has been released every two years since 2003 and given the high level of NTI market penetration is just about the best information available on heavy vehicle accidents.

Some of the key finding include:

  • The major crash incidence rate has decreased by 35% since 2002;
  • Inappropriate speed for conditions is the predominate cause of accidents;
  • 72% of crashes were single vehicle accidents;
  • In fatal collisions with other vehicles the truck was not at fault in 84% of cases; and
  • Most crashes occur in the outward bound phase of the journey.

The full report can be found here: