ALRTA News – 17 September 2021

THANK YOU TO OUR NATIONAL SPONSOR
PACCAR & DEALER INDUSTRY FUND

Designed for the unique Australian environment, Kenworth trucks have been manufactured in the Melbourne suburb of Bayswater since 1971.

Kenworth trucks are made from around 60 percent Australian-owned resources and our supply chain includes over 70 Australian suppliers located across nearly 300 local sites, the majority are Australian-owned companies located in the Melbourne region.

Backed by a strong nationwide dealer network and supported by PACCAR’s global technologies and services, Kenworth delivers the right truck for you and your environment.

FIND OUT MORE

MANDATORY VACCINATION UPDATE

South Australia
From Monday 27 September, all commercial transport and freight essential travellers arriving from NSW, ACT, VIC and parts of QLD must have evidence of at least one TGA approved COVID-19 vaccination in order to enter South Australia.
 
Interestingly, SA has also introduced a new provision requiring persons entering from NSW, ACT, VIC and parts of QLD to provide evidence of a negative PCR test in the prior 72hrs or they will be directed to undertake a point-of-care antigen test/or a COVID-19 test within 12hrs. 
 
While the mandatory vaccine requirement is disappointing, the move towards rapid antigen testing is a welcome development.
 
Other Jurisdictions
While ALRTA has so far been successful in preventing the adoption of mandatory vaccination requirements in the national freight protocols, states are unfortunately going it alone with Victoria and Western Australia announcing mandatory jab requirements.
 
ALRTA and LRTAQ participated in discussions this week with the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads concerning proposed changes to state freight protocols. We are expecting an announcement introducing mandatory vaccination in QLD imminently – however, we are hopeful that there will be a more reasonable notice period before the requirement comes into effect (2 weeks notice in VIC and SA was totally inadequate). It is likely that the new QLD protocols will at the same time rebalance requirements relating to border passes, testing periods, masks and isolation while working.
 
ALRTA has argued that QLD (and other jurisdictions) should establish two separate sets of protocols – one set for double vaxed freight workers (with relaxed protocols) and one set for unvaxed freight workers (with more stringent protocols where necessary). Simply denying unvaxed drivers any opportunity to undertake interstate work is discriminatory and disrespectful of those who carried Australia through drought, fires, floods and the first pandemic wave.

NATIONAL COVID TESTING SITES

The Australian trucking industry is taking national leadership on truck driver COVID testing, calling for the establishment of two national road transport industry testing and vaccination points.  

The Australian Trucking Association and its state and territory members are calling on the Australian Government to establish the testing points, with an aim to reduce test result waiting times and support vaccination requirements. 

The proposal has recommended 24-hour COVID testing sites be set up at Port Augusta in South Australia and the NT Border control point at the Barkly Highway Roadhouse in the Northern Territory. 

“These are just two points at which nearly all national east-west road freight movements must pass through,” ATA CEO Michael Deegan said.  

“These sites would also protect the north-south route from Port Augusta to Darwin,” he said.  

The proposal calls for the sites to be accessible at all times, with on-site staff capable of administering vaccines and returning test results quickly.  

Read more here.

FOCUS ON SAFETY & QUALITY AT THE ALRTA-LTAT NATIONAL-STATE CONFERENCE

The countdown is on to ALRTA’s national conference in Hobart on Saturday morning 23 October 2021. Together with our Tasmanian colleagues, LTAT, ALRTA is excited to announce that this year we’re taking the event online to maximise member access and involvement.



Join us from 9:00am – 1:00pm in person at Hobart’s Wrest Point, or on-line in our virtual conference stream, to explore state and national issues related to quality and safety in rural transport supply chains.
 
The 2021 National Conference will be opened by Gavin Pearce, Federal Member for Braddon, with a keynote address by Federal Assistant Minister for Road Safety and Freight Transport, Scott Buchholz.  The NHVR, NTC, NTI and RAW are among those providing presentations on topics including law reform, technology, skills shortages, infrastructure, access and truck washes.
 
If you register early you will receive a ‘flavours of Tasmania’ participant pack in the mail before the event.  And of course the conference will also include our ever-popular fund raiser, the Silent Auction.
 
For online attendees, your active participation in the conference will be encouraged and supported via interactive Q&A sessions. If you are on the go, you can also stream the sessions via a mobile device or listen to a full conference recording when it is convenient for you.
 
Those able to participate in Hobart can also catch up with colleagues and industry members after the conference at the Gala Dinner & Awards Night, at Wrest Point, from 6:30pm.
 
Coming soon – details of the program, how to register for tickets and the link to our online conference stream.

SEEKING SOLUTIONS: LABOUR SHORTAGES

LBRCA President, Paul Pulver, and ALRTA Executive Director, Mat Munro, met with the Department of Home Affairs this week to further investigate the possibility of establishing an industry labour agreement.  A suitable labour agreement would establish a visa pathway for our member businesses to access migrant truck drivers and forklift drivers under certain conditions.  It is ridiculous that current visa pathways preclude these occupations because they are considered ‘low skilled’.
 
ALRTA has now closely examined detailed guidelines and template labour agreements established in other sectors such as horticulture.  The meeting with the Department of Home Affairs was a great opportunity for us to seek clarity around rules, precedents and decision-making processes.
 
ALRTA will now commence work on developing a formal application.

NHVR TALKS TO CARAVANERS

The NHVR met with caravaners travelling in south-west Queensland last week to highlight the keys to operating safely around heavy vehicles on regional roads this Spring.

NHVR Stakeholder Engagement officer Dan Casey said most caravaners were keen to understand their role in sharing regional roads safely with heavy vehicles.

“Simple things like understanding how long it takes to overtake a heavy vehicle, understanding braking distances and blind spots and the importance of leaving space at shared rest areas,” Dan said.

If you know someone who is travelling with a caravan, take the time to ensure they understand We Need Space to Keep You SafeClick here for more information.

The trip to Condamine was one of many engagements activities conducted by the NHVR stakeholder team deliver across the country and online every year to discuss a range of heavy vehicle topics from route planning and access permits to safety systems and Chain of Responsibility requirements.
 
For more information get in touch via email info@nhvr.gov.au or call 136 487

PENALTY FOR SEVERE MASS BREACH

The NHVR has accepted an enforceable undertaking from Zezt Pty Ltd that will see the company spend $23,430 towards Chain of Responsibility and mass requirements training.

An investigation by NHVR’s Safety and Compliance Officers found that on 1 July 2020 Zezt failed to comply with the mass requirements as required by s 96(1)(c) of the Heavy Vehicle National Law.

REMOVE ELECTRIC VEHICLE BARRIERS

An industry-leading partnership between the Australian Trucking Association and Electric Vehicle Council will work to remove barriers to electric freight vehicle uptake in Australia.
 
Australia has been falling behind in the global uptake of electric freight vehicles, lacking an electric trucks strategy and charging infrastructure. There is currently limited model availability and regulatory barriers.
 
“The ATA and the EVC have a shared vision to accelerate the electrification of road transport, and we are thrilled to begin this important partnership,” ATA CEO Michael Deegan said.
 
“Together, we are leading the country to progress electric heavy vehicle uptake.
 
“This is an important step forward in building Australia’s sustainable heavy vehicle fleet.”
 
CEO of the Electric Vehicle Council, Behyad Jafari, said freight vehicles were an enormous piece of the electrification puzzle.
 
“Advances in global electric freight vehicle technology are creating abundant opportunities for Australian trucking and the nation more broadly,” Mr Jafari said
 
“They can help us drive down emissions, increase efficiency, and make our air safer to breathe. But we can only capture those opportunities if we take a proactive approach to policy and that’s why this partnership is so exciting.”
 
The first initiative of the partnership will commence this week with a series of workshops that will bring together a high calibre of industry and productivity experts.
 
“The workshops will outline the current challenges of electrification for the trucking industry, as well as identifying concrete objectives to move this issue forward,” Mr Jafari said.
 
“Our workshop outcomes will also inform a policy paper that will outline the measures government must take to accelerate the electric freight market in Australia.”
 
Mr Deegan said the first workshop will welcome truck manufacturers, and the second will bring together operators.
 
“This will give us an industry level insight of what government needs to do to accelerate uptake in the three key areas of policy: regulatory, financial and charging,” Mr Deegan said.
 
“We know that charging infrastructure presents complex and broad challenges. For this reason, there is potential to hold a separate workshop on this next month.”

bp PROMOTION FOR ALRTA MEMBERS

Looking for more ways to save on business expenses? bp have come up with a promotion for ALRTA members,  with a BP Plus fuel card your business can save 9 cents per litre, for your first 4 months when you sign up by 30 November 2021.



Plus, if you’re on the road a lot, you can make every trip even more rewarding and earn up to 100,000 bonus Qantas Points when your business refuels at bp within the first 4 months. 

Watch out for the special bp promotion email from ALRTA next week.

FRIDAY FUNNY

Teacher: Josie, go to the map and find Australia.
Josie: Here it is.
Teacher: Correct. Now class, do you know who discovered Australia?
Class: Josie.

Teacher: Billy, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?
Billy: A teacher!

SAVE THE DATES FOR 2021 & 2022

LTAT/National Combined Conference – Hobart & Online – 23 October 2021
LBRCA Conference – Wagga Wagga NSW – 10-12 February 2022 – Registration
LRTAQ Conference – Sunshine Coast – 4-5 March 2022