ALRTA News – 15 March 2019

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NHVR CONFIRMS ROLE IN REGO ENFORCEMENT

ALRTA and NatRoad jointly wrote to NHVR recently seeking clarification around the NHVR’s current and future role in enforcing compliance with heavy vehicle registration laws – specifically, conditional registrations such as primary producer schemes.

We can now confirm that:

  • NHVR will undertake registration enforcement in states where powers have been transitioned (currently SA & TAS, plus ACT from 1 July.  VIC, NSW & QLD by 2021).
  • During intercepts, NHVR will check rego and compliance with conditions.
  • Enforcement action will be taken as appropriate and statistics kept.

NHVR will also ask all states to supply information on concession codes so this can be included in the NHVR rego checker app.  This means that you will be able to check at any time whether or not a HV is operating under primary producer rego – an important step given that this information will no longer be displayed on national plates in most jurisdictions.

NHVR will also provide information concerning the best reporting channel.  For now, you can use the confidential NHVR reporting hotline: 1800 931 785.

INDUSTRY REFERENCE FORUM

ALRTA representatives (Graeme Hoare and Mat Munro) attended the NHVR Industry Reference Forum held in Brisbane this week. The main topic of discussion was the review of the HVNL, with the first of eight discussion papers due to be released by the NTC this month.


Photo: NHVR’s David Carlisle explains NHVR’s approach to the HVNL Review. 

Separate reviews feeding into the HVNL review were also discussed including the Medlock Review of Heavy Vehicle Accreditation and the OSOM review.

For the first time, the IRF adopted a ‘workshop’ format with industry and NHVR staff intermingled and asked to consider three primary elements of a better HVNL: Safe Drivers, Safe Vehicles and Suitable Access.   It was apparent that industry and regulators share many common interests.  There are however differing views (even within industry) on the degree to which regulation should focus on barrier to entry (operator licencing) and real time compliance monitoring (via technology).

It is going to be a milestone year for rural transport. On top of the HVNL, Accreditation and OSOM Reviews, the NHVR will also be attempting to harmonise state livestock loading and grain harvest management schemes.  These will be significant challenges in their own right!

ALRTA TO CONSIDER MINIMUM RATES

The ALRTA National Executive will meet via teleconference on Monday to discuss the Australian Labor Party’s proposal to reinstate mandatory minimum rates for owner drivers.

ALRTA will have four representatives (John Beer, Marla Stone, Mark Sullivan and Mat Munro) in attendance at next week’s ‘Transport Industry Safety Forum’ to be hosted by Labor Senator Glenn Sterle on Tuesday.

LRTAQ ANNUAL CONFERENCE

ALRTA President Stephen Marley and Executive Director Mat Munro attended the LRTAQ Annual Conference in Rockhampton, QLD.


Photo: The 2019 Bull Carters Ball.

The conference attracted more than 120 delegates with a keynote address delivered by Queensland Minister for Transport and Main Roads, the Hon Mark Bailey.  The forum covered topics such as access, livestock loading review, chain of responsibility, risk management, feedlot management, trucksafe, effluent and minimum rates.


Photo: The Sands of Great Keppel Island. 

Delegates also enjoyed a community trade show, snorkelling on Great Keppel Island, a visit to the Mack Museum and the legendary Bull Carters Ball!  Queensland never fails to deliver!

TRUCKSAFE TO LAUNCH NEW STANDARDS

Trucksafe will launch revised standards (including new animal welfare standards) at Trucking Australia 2019.

These standards have been developed to bring TruckSafe into line with the strengthened duties in the Heavy Vehicle National Law and the master code of industry practice.

The new standards will come into force for TruckSafe members on 1 October 2019 and will deliver a new era of safety accreditation.

In the 2019 TruckSafe standards briefing session, you could join TruckSafe directors, auditors and customers to discover:

  • the differences between the 2017 and 2019 standards
  • how the new standards will deliver master code and CoR compliance
  • how to upgrade your systems to the new standards, with real life tips and tricks
  • how industry customers can benefit from using TruckSafe operators, and
  • what our auditors will be looking for when they do audits

This is your chance to join the nation’s trucking operators and industry stakeholders as we tackle the big issues – together.

WHAT ABOUT THE TRUCKS, MR DALEY?

New South Wales Labor has failed to rule out a stamp duty increase on new trucks sold in the state, the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) warned today.

The ATA represents the 50,000 businesses and 211,500 people in the Australian trucking industry and is seeking more detail on how trucking businesses could be affected by the tax increase in NSW.

NSW Labor has announced a plan to increase stamp duties on vehicles costing more than $100,000. This would add an extra $9,000 to the cost of a $350,000 prime mover, with the stamp duty totalling $25,600.

“Labor Leader Michael Daley has been unable to explain the tax, leaving the trucking industry in the dark,” ATA councillor and Border Express director Jon Luff said.

Mr Luff said an increase in stamp duty on trucks would be disastrous for safety, the NSW economy and the environment.

“In urban areas like Western Sydney, we need more new, cleaner trucks, not less,” he said.

“New trucks must meet new, cleaner emission standards and are more fuel efficient. Compared to a truck purchased in 1996, a new truck purchased today emits 75 per cent less nitrogen oxide, 50 per cent less hydrocarbons and 92 per cent fewer particulates.

Mr Luff also said new trucks have the latest safety technologies.

“The Australian Government is rolling out stability control as a mandated technology for a range of new trucks and trailers, and new vehicles regularly come equipped with additional safety technologies like lane assist and adaptive cruise control,” he said.

This morning, Shadow Treasurer Ryan Park issued a statement citing that farm vehicles such as harvesters and tractors would be exempt under the policy but conspicuously did not exempt trucks.

“The 16,000 hardworking trucking businesses in New South Wales deserve answers,” Mr Luff said.

“Trucks are critical to the NSW economy and slapping taxes on trucks only makes it harder for businesses to compete in a global economy,” he said.

“97 per cent of trucking companies are small businesses, based in regional towns and places like Western Sydney.

“Trucks are not a luxury. They are a necessity, relied upon by every single Australian,” he said.

CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2019

Did you read the PACCAR Power Torque magazine this month? PACCAR celebrated International Women’s Day (IWD) by honouring the many women playing a vital role in Australia’s trucking and transport industry in a special parts catalogue. Introducing women who work in a variety of roles across the industry, they asked how they came to achieve their goals and for advice for women starting out.

As PACCAR reported, women currently make up around 20 per cent of the workforce in transport and logistics. A more gender-diverse workforce improves business performance, so we need to encourage more women to consider a career in transport, they said.  To quote PACCAR chief engineer, Noelle Parlier, “We need you and want you!”

The official theme for IWD 2019 is “Think equal, build smart, innovate for change”.

With that in mind, Sue Davies, Project Officer with ALRTA, headed to the ‘All about women’ event at the Sydney Opera House last weekend. One of the sessions Sue attended was ‘leading while female’, a panel discussion hosted by columnist and senior journalist, Jacqueline Maley. Panellists included politicians Julie Bishop, Member for Curtin and former Foreign Minister, Linda Burney, Federal Member for Barton, Shadow Minister for Families and Social Services, a proud Wiradjuri woman and the first Aboriginal person to be elected to the NSW Parliament in 2003, Sarah Hanson-Young, Australian Greens Senator for South Australia and Julia Banks, Member for Chisholm, an independent who left the Liberal Party following the recent leadership change.


Photo (L-R): Jaqueline Maley, Julia Banks, Linda Burney, Julie Bishop and Sarah Hanson-Young.

In promoting this session the organisers put the view that ‘While some of our most popular politicians are women, they are still frequently overlooked for leadership positions and are subjected to personal scrutiny to a level not inflicted on their male colleagues.’

On Sunday, the audience listened to these experienced politicians talk about the pitfalls and rewards of their jobs, and how we can shift the culture so girls who want to grow up to be PM are inspired, not discouraged.

The panel discussed the fact that Australia’s Parliament was designed a long time ago, by men. It could be made more family-friendly; recently both male and female members have announced that they are leaving federal parliament citing family reasons. We could make better use of technology and change the rules, for example, so that MPs don’t have to be physically present in the house to vote on legislation.

Sarah Hanson-Young gave encouragement to those wishing to enter politics, saying that we need women to speak up, for our voices to be heard; in fact we need diverse representation of the Australian population in parliament. Her advice was to be clear on the issues you are passionate about. This point was supported by Julie Bishop, who suggested that it’s a good idea to get a piece of paper and write down a list of dot points for what you want to achieve. Julie also proposed that negotiation skills and are important in leadership, as is being a clear and concise communicator. “There’s no room for Pollywaffle!”, she said.

Linda Burney encouraged political engagement saying that there are many ways to be involved and to influence change. If you want to change something, get involved in activism and bring your passion to the causes that are important to you. Linda observed that relatively few people interested in politics end up in parliament.

Based on her 25 years’ experience, Julia Banks commented that workplace culture in the corporate world is progressive and has embraced change whereas the Australian parliament is lagging in this area.

All the panellists confirmed that you need passion, resilience and a team of supportive people around you to make it in politics.

Sue’s take on all this is that in both the transport industry and Australian parliament we do need to “Think equal, build smart, innovate for change” to get the best outcomes for the future for all Australians.

ALRTA encourages women to leadership roles. Whether you drive a truck or work in the office in administration, scheduling, logistics or finance, you are an important part of the transport business and make a valuable contribution. Please do think about joining the executive of your state or national transport association. You’d be most welcome.

TIME SAVING FOR NEW REGO PORTAL ACCESS

Operators can save up to 15 minutes per vehicle with access to real time registration information through the NHVR Portal – Registration Module and meet industry requests for additional Chain of Responsibility support.

NHVR Program Manager Tammy Wigg said new portal functions would allow businesses across the supply chain access to real time fleet information, including a vehicle’s current registration status and configuration.

“Operators can avoid sharing registration information with contractors through email, which is cumbersome and adds an administrative load on both parties,” Ms Wigg said.

“Operators can now share a direct link to their vehicles’ registration details with contractors, eliminating the back and forth of emails and reducing their exposure to risk.

“The NHVR Registration service through the NHVR Portal – Registration Module has been viewed more than 3 million times since it was launched in October last year.

“There have also been 32,000 searches using the NHVR Registration Checker app, which is available on Google Play or Apple Store.”

The NHVR Portal – Registration Module brings together registration for 905,000 heavy vehicle units registered by state and territory governments* into a single database (excluding Northern Territory).
Boral’s National Heavy Vehicle Compliance Manager Craig Guthrie said the new functionality would allow subcontractors to provide up-to-date information on their vehicles.

“Currently subcontractors can print out or email details of their fleet, but having real time access to fleet information allows us to put additional safety systems in place,” he said.

“Having all the information in one place saves time and means operators can give us the assurance that their vehicles are registered.”

For more information on the sharing function in the NHVR Portal visit www.nhvr.gov.au/regoportal

2019 ATA AWARD FINALISTS

ALRTA congratulates David Smith (LRTASA President) and Jan Cooper (LRTAWA Executive Officer) on being announced as finalists for the 2019 National Trucking Industry Awards.

Mr Smith has been nominated for ‘Outstanding Contribution to the Australian Trucking Industry’ while Ms Cooper has been nominated for ‘National Trucking Industry Woman of the Year’.

The award winners will be announced at Trucking Australia 2019 in Perth on 5 April 2019 at the ATA Foundation Sponsors Awards Gala Dinner.

TICKETS ON SALE FOR NTI’S NEXT TRUCK RESTORATION

Australia’s number one truck insurer – National Transport Insurance (NTI) is excited to announce tickets are now available online at www.nti.com.au/ntimnd for the next truck in NTI’s Restoration Series for Motor Neurone Disease.

Tickets are pitched at 1 for $10 or 6 for $50, with 100% of proceeds going directly to the MND Research Institute of Australia to award the NTI Research Grant, and the MND & Me Foundation.

This year’s truck, a 1946 Ford Jailbar fondly dubbed “Roxanne”, promises to deliver a different kind of restoration to the previous project – a 1946 International Model K5, known as the “Green Diamond”.

REMINDER: CODE OF PRACTICE WORKSHOP

ALRTA will host a workshop in Canberra on 28 March 2019 to progress the development of a Registered Industry Code of Practice (RICP) for ‘Managing effluent in the livestock supply chain’.

For more information please contact ALRTA Project Officer, Sue Davies, on (02) 6247 5434 or project@alrta.org.au

UPCOMING EVENTS

ATA’s Annual Trucking Australia Conference will be held 3-5 April 2019 at Crown Towers, Perth, Western Australia.

For more information click here.

ALRTA COUNCIL

Members are advised that the ALRTA National Council will meet in Canberra on Friday, 29 March 2019.

For more information please contact the ALRTA Secretariat.