ALRTA News -12 March 2021

THANK YOU TO OUR NATIONAL SPONSOR – LOWES

As regional Australia’s fuel and lubricants delivery specialists, Lowes Petroleum Service is offering ALRTA members great deals on delivery of bulk fuels and lubricants to your business or farm. Your local Lowes sales manager can create packages tailored to your needs. Our offerings are for ALRTA members, large or small, with tailored solutions including bulk deliveries and tank storage solutions at your primary site. We also provide fuel card benefits with our Australia-wide network of around 1400 service stations and $0 monthly fees for your fleet as they move through other districts.

A Lowes bp+ fuel card also provides everyday discounts, hassle free statements – ready for BAS – and of course access to the bp plus app. The bp+ app allows you to manage your fleet from your phone. Your fleet admin manager is able to add or delete cards in real time and allows drivers to have contactless free payment options for short or long periods, it’s up to you.

The Lowes bp+ fuel card provides ideal tools for your company to save time and reduce risk during COVID lockdown periods.

We have also updated the Lowes bp+ card offer with Blue Ribbon card discounts at Lowes owned sites. With an additional level of discounts, you can now choose from Blue Ribbon, Gold Diesel and Green Selected Sites. This ensures ALRTA Members get maximum benefits from our association between the two organisations.

The three levels of card discounts have been colour coded to link to the bp network page on the Lowes website for easy ALRTA Member reference.  

Get in touch with your local Lowes Sales Manager. 

ALRTA SUPPORTS FAIR CHARGE INCREASE

The Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association (ALRTA) has supported the Infrastructure and Transport Ministers Meeting’s proposal to increase heavy vehicle registration and the Road User Charge by 2.5 per cent in 2021-22.
 
The ALRTA position was outlined in a submission in response to the Heavy Vehicle Charges Consultation Report released by the National Transport Commission (NTC) in January 2021.
 
ALRTA National President, Scott McDonald, said that it is of critical importance for industry and governments to agree on reasonable and responsible steps to re-establish fair cost recovery.
 
“All heavy vehicle operators rely on governments to provide road infrastructure. For many years we have agreed to pay our way, with heavy vehicle related road expenditure recovered via vehicle registration charges and the Road User Charge under the PAYGO model,” said President McDonald.
 
“Back in 2014-15, governments refused to implement a 6.3% charging decrease and instead froze charges.  This led to several years of over-charging, but expenditure caught up in 2017-18. 
 
“Charges have since remained frozen, in part because a planned increase of 2.5 per cent in 2020-21 was abandoned due to COIVD-19.  The NTC now forecasts a revenue shortfall of 13.4 per cent in 2020-21 at current charging levels.  
 
“Cumulative over-charging and under-charging of our industry is now approximately equal.
 
“While all businesses would prefer lower charges, the reality is that the longer we delay an increase, the larger that increase has to be.  Unless immediate action is taken, annual charge increases may need to exceed 5 per cent for several years to put us back on the path to fair cost recovery.
 
“In supporting a 2.5 per cent increase in 2021-22, ALRTA is also calling on governments to accelerate work on multi-year price pathing to ensure a smooth transition back to fair cost recovery and more say in how the charges we pay are spent on road infrastructure. This is particularly important given the government’s increased spending on COVID-19 infrastructure stimulus.
 
“It is also important to recognise that abandoning fair cost recovery under the PAYGO model will place us at the mercy of governments that want to introduce a more complex forward-looking cost base and telematics-based charging system.
 
“Industry is working hard to ensure that any new charging model is demand-driven, improves spending oversight, includes independent decision-making and does not impose more cost and red-tape for operators. Meanwhile, governments want to retain final say on all decisions.
 
“PAYGO must remain viable until a suitable replacement can be agreed,” he said.
 
Read the ALRTA submission here.

HAVE YOU FILLED OUT THE SURVEY?

The livestock transport injury survey needs you!

Have you ever been injured when loading or unloading livestock? How often do you experience a near miss?
 
The Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association (ALRTA) is conducting a National Survey about injuries to livestock loaders and unloaders and the incidence of injury reporting.
 
You can help us by answering 10 questions online.
 
The national survey builds on a previous Livestock and Rural Transporters Association of Victoria (LRTAV) survey, which demonstrated some concerning statistics.  Your survey responses will help to establish national baseline data for a five year period. We will be able to repeat the survey in future to determine trends in safety and reporting levels.
 
The results of our survey may also influence facility owners to review safety, upgrade facilities or install new facilities to meet the recently published National Standard (AS 5340:2020) Livestock Loading Ramps and Forcing Pens
 
The survey will not ask for your personal name, business name or contact details.  All data is anonymous, confidential and will be aggregated for statistical purposes.
 
ALRTA encourages all members to participate in the survey via the link below by Friday 26 March 2021. 
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9ZR9FBX

NHVAS: NOTIFIABLE OCCURANCES

Notifiable Occurrence reporting now forms part of revised NHVAS business rules.
 
Existing participants have up to one accreditation cycle to implement the revised rules and standards, which means implementation does not have to be done immediately.
 
A factsheet and video are available that explain when, how and why an NHVAS Notifiable Occurrence must be reported:

ELECTION RESULTS: LBRCA AGM

ALRTA congratulates the following office bearers elected at the LBRCA AGM on 6 March 2021:

  • President: Paul Pulver
  • Vice President (Livestock): Raymond Sutton
  • Vice President (Bulk): Jeremy Horne
  • Treasurer: Stephen Hopkins
  • Secretary: Tracey Boschetti
  • ALRTA Representative: Dianne Peisley
  • Regulator Representative: Wade Lewis
  • Sponsorship Representative: Stephen Haslem
  • YDA Representative: Mark Carmichael
  • Fleet Operator (Livestock) Representatives: Cavanagh’s Transport & Martin’s Stock Haulage
  • Fleet Operator (Bulk) Representatives: Multiquip Transport & Riordan Grain Services

ALRTA also congratulates Mathew Benseman who has won the 2021 SafeWork NSW Young Driver of the Year Award. The award, sponsored by SafeWork NSW and the LBRCA, recognises outstanding young drivers under 35 who demonstrate a best practice approach to driving and safety. The major prize was a $5,000 trip to either Western Australia, New Zealand or the United States of America.

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP

Scholarships are still available through Women & Leadership Australia to support the development of female leaders across Australia’s transport and logistics sector and applications have been extended to 31 March 2021.

Scholarships of $1,000 to $5,000 enable participation in one of three leadership development courses designed for emerging through to senior leaders. All scholarships must be allocated by the end of March and it is unsure when these scholarships will be available again.

Register your interest by completing the Expression of Interest form https://www.wla.edu.au/transportlogistics.html 

SKILLING UP IN LIVESTOCK TRANSPORT

Livestock businesses operating in the Maranoa region will have the opportunity to help employees in skilling up in livestock transport and develop their cattle handling and transport skills over two free workshops with well-known cattle expert Tom Shephard.

Livestock and Rural Transporters Association of Queensland (LRTAQ) President Gerard Johnson is encouraging livestock transport operators and their employees to enrol and participate in the free workshops on 7 April and 8 April 2021. Refer recent article in PowerTorque.

Places are strictly limited and participants are encouraged to register as soon as possible by visiting www.lrtaq.com.au/events or by contacting Laney O’Neil on 0447 349 214.

HEALTH PROGRAM FOR OWNER DRIVERS

OzHelp has been funded by the Australian Government’s NHVR – Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative to deliver a health and wellbeing program for owner drivers. The Health in Gear wellness program designed by drivers, for drivers, will shortly commence its pilot phase.
 
A literature review published by OzHelp in November 2020, looked at what is known about the physical and mental wellbeing of heavy vehicle drivers in the road transport industry. It also found that the sedentary nature of the occupation combined with poor diet and a lack of exercise puts drivers at a higher risk of obesity and developing chronic diseases such as diabetes, mental-ill health, and cardiovascular health issues.
 
OzHelp Chief Executive Officer, Mr Darren Black said the review was the first step in developing a program for drivers.
 
“The constraints under which drivers operate have a direct bearing on drivers’ physical health and wellbeing and there is a genuine desire from the driving community for things to change.”
 
“Drivers are exceptionally resilient and have a special strength of character. Many have been incredibly open in sharing the challenges and contributing to the design of the upcoming program,” said Mr Black.
 
NHVR Chief Executive Officer, Sal Petroccitto, said driver health and wellbeing is critical to improved safety outcomes.
 
The full literature review report is available from the OzHelp website. For more information about the program email: healthingear@ozhelp.org.au

LRTAQ CONFERENCE  9 -11 April 2021 ROMA 

LRTAQ  invite you to join them as they mark their milestone 40th anniversary. Fittingly, they are headed back to where it all started – Roma – the location of the very first meeting of the then LTAQ back in 1981.

For many members and supporters, the LRTAQ Annual Conference is an opportunity to catch up with friends and colleagues and build new and lasting business relationships.

Partners are welcome and encouraged to attend the conference and there is a Partner Tour on the Friday. 

For more information and to register

JOIN THE TRUCKSAFE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

TruckSafe is seeking expressions of interest from suitable people to join its Board of Directors. You would be joining a progressive and motivated group of industry professionals who are passionate about seeing tangible safety outcomes for industry through comprehensive industry accreditation.The TruckSafe board plays an integral role in developing the TruckSafe standards and business rules and promoting industry safety to operators, customers, governments and community.

TruckSafe is a not for profit organisation and a subsidiary business of the Australian Trucking Association.

Time commitment

The TruckSafe board meets formally four times a year either in person or via video conference. Face to face board meetings are held in conjunction with other industry events when ever possible. Additionally, the board meets each month for one hour via video conference.

Skills and attributes

TruckSafe Board Directors must have a strong belief in and commitment to TruckSafe’s goals, charter and to continuous improvement in transport and logistics industry safety, along with the:

  • Skills, expertise and experience to support TruckSafe strategic and business development goals
  • Knowledge of the trucking industry as an operator, customer or industry professional with specialist expertise
  • Ability and willingness to represent the best interests of TruckSafe

 Expressions of interest are now being accepted with a closing date of 19 March 2021. If you are interested in submitting an expression of interest to join the TruckSafe Board please contact Melissa Weller for further information  02 6253 6900 or melissa.weller@truck.net.au

FRIDAY FUNNY

A truck driver was travelling down the road and ran out of diesel. At that moment, a bee flew in his window.

“What seems to be the problem?” asked the bee.

“I’m out of diesel,” the driver replied.

The bee told the driver to wait right there and flew away. Minutes later, the driver watched as an entire swarm of bees flew to his truck and into his tank.

After a few minutes, the bees flew out.

“Try it now,” said the bee.

The driver turned the ignition key and the truck started right up.

“Wow,” the driver exclaimed. “What did you put in my tank?”

“BP,” answered the bee.

SAVE THE DATES FOR 2021

LRTAQ Conference – Roma QLD – 9-11 April 2021 – Registration Information
Brisbane Truck Show 13-16 May 2021 – ALRTA will have a booth
LRTASA Conference – Adelaide SA – 18-19 June 2021
LRTAV Conference – Bendigo VIC – 20-21 August 2021