THANK YOU TO ALRTA NATIONAL SPONSOR NTI
NTI are proud National Sponsors of the ALRTA.
CHECK BEFORE YOU GO
Christmas – New Year: Travel Restrictions
Over the Christmas and New Year period, there are travel restrictions in place for certain Class 1 heavy vehicles.
Please note: For vehicles operating under a permit, operators should check the permit’s conditions to establish whether Christmas or public holiday travel restrictions are explicitly listed or are referenced in related notices. All heavy vehicles are subject to conditions of access under their relevant notice or permit.
To plan you trips, your can check all state and territory travel restrictions here.
COVID-19 – NSW Testing Sites to Close
As advised by NSW Government, from Wednesday 15 December 2021, the NSW freight friendly COVID-19 testing sites at Narrabarba, Raglan, Forbes, Dubbo and Branxton will close.
The Ballina, Narrandera, Taree, Tarcutta, Marulan and Yass testing sites will continue to operate.
View a map of all current freight friendly testing sites in NSW.
NSW community testing clinics continue to operate. Find your nearest NSW community COVID-19 testing clinic.
There are also a number of interstate testing sites which can be found on the NHVR COVID-19 Support Map.
With the NSW adult vaccination rate at over 90 per cent, and the removal of mandatory testing requirements in some jurisdictions, demand has consistently fallen at a number of the NSW freight friendly COVID-19 testing sites.
Christmas Closure
All sites will be closed from 9pm Friday 24 December to 7am Monday 27 December 2021. This excludes Narrabarba, Raglan, Forbes, Dubbo and Branxton which will have permanently closed.
Please make alternative arrangements to be tested during this time or plan ahead to alter your testing routine.
COVID-19 – Changes to Queensland Freight Protocol
The Queensland Freight Protocol will be changing effective 1am, Wednesday, 15 December 2021. Details have not yet been formally released but you can check here for the latest updates.
Flooding
Members are reminded to check road conditions in advance of trips. You can find a useful resource here.
ATA WELCOMES ADBLUE TASKFORCE
The Australian Trucking Association has welcomed an announcement by the Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor that a taskforce will be set up to tackle the AdBlue shortage.
ATA Chair, David Smith says the decision to establish the taskforce shows the AdBlue issue is now at the top of the government’s agenda.
“We’re think this is a good outcome. We have been calling for government to make resolving this issue a priority,” Mr Smith said.
“We were disappointed when talks at a government-convened roundtable on Wednesday broke down and issued a media release calling for urgent government action.
“It appears that Minister Taylor has listened to our calls and is putting the AdBlue shortage at the top of government’s priority list.
We look forward to more announcements in coming days,” Mr Smith concluded.
ALRTA is in discussions with members, engine manufacturers and fuel suppliers to explore the extent of the problem and what can be done in the short and longer term. Please be aware that remapping to avoid AdBlue usage remains illegal and may negatively affect componentry such as dose pumps and well as having warranty implications.
Background
- AdBlue is made up of 32 per cent urea and 68 per cent de-ionised water. It is injected into the exhaust system to reduce the amount of NOx entering the atmosphere.
- Australia is a substantial importer of urea, although Incitec Pivot has a plant in Brisbane. 80 per cent of the Asia-Pacific’s supply of DEF grade urea comes from China. Fertiliser grade urea is not suitable for manufacturing DEF as the resulting product does not meet the ISO standard
- China has almost halted urea exports as part of an attempt to cool down local fertiliser prices.
- Supply of AdBlue is uncertain beyond February 2022.
DRIVER AND ANIMAL WELFARE
The ALRTA National Driver and Animal Welfare Committee met via Zoom today. The committee discussed loading ramps, effluent, loading densities, injury data and site safety. Delegates considered options for obtaining data to expand loading density guidelines to cover larger cattle and agreed to develop a promotional video(s) about our industry, driver welfare, animal welfare and the national ramp standard – we will commence work on the videos in 2022.
NATIONAL LOCATION REGISTRY
Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE) are working with GS1 Australia to progress an electronic ‘address book’ of freight locations. The National Location Registry will provide reliable and accurate location data across the freight industry. This includes precise locations of loading docks as well as locations of freight sources such as mines, agriculture and construction sites. Further details in the registry will be opening hours, dimension limits, a point of contact, safety requirements and facilities details.
Some of the common use cases that would be well served by having access to up to date, accurate and consistent information about physical locations and that today pose considerable challenges for freight operators include:
- The effective management of trading or operating hours for peak periods.
- Knowing about any safety constraints at a site.
- Understanding what, if any, driver amenities are available.
- Weight/height restrictions.
- Details regarding dedicated truck entry points.
- Other site requirements, for example, drivers must wear hard hats.
This project primarily contributes to the Hub’s purposes of supporting day-to-day operational decisions. Some of the data may also be useful in supporting investment decisions.
The National Location Registry will be established in mid 2021.
HVNL CONSULTATIONS
ALRTA Executive Director, Mat Munro, participated in six National Transport Commission (NTC) workshops to discuss priorities and progress of the Heavy Vehicle National Law review. The informal discussions covered all aspects of the law including access, fatigue, chain of responsibility, technology, data, primary duties, enforcement, accreditation and consultation processes.
Importantly, the workshops included both industry and jurisdictional participation.
NTC will re-commence formal consultations in February 2022.
GO LOCAL FIRST
Australians are being urged to continue to spend with local businesses as the GO LOCAL FIRST campaign returns to the airwaves today, with an initial focus on supporting small businesses affected by lockdowns.
GO LOCAL FIRST will highlight the crucial role small business plays in the nation’s economy and the continued need for Australians to GO LOCAL FIRST to support those small businesses as the Delta variant of COVID-19 wreaks havoc with the ability of small businesses to keep trading.
GO LOCAL FIRST spokesperson Mark McKenzie said: “Small businesses account for just over one-third of Australia’s GDP and a full economic recovery will not be possible without small businesses trading and providing jobs for their community.
“Far more jobs have been lost from small businesses than large during lockdowns – and that was before the significant downturn in activity we are seeing in parts of the country affected by the Delta variant of COVID-19.”
GO LOCAL FIRST will build on its success in encouraging Australians to choose local small businesses, in a COVID-safe way, when buying products and services to support local jobs in every community.
To find out how you can promote your local businesses or help local businesses click here.
FRIDAY FUNNY
SAVE THE DATES FOR 2022
LBRCA (NSW) – 10-12 February 2022 – Wagga Wagga NSW – Information & Registration
LRTAQ (QLD) – 4-5 March 2022- Surfair Marcoola QLD
LRTASA (SA) – 17-18 June 2022 – Adelaide SA
ALRTA/LRTAV National Combined Conference – 12-13 August 2022 – All Seasons Bendigo VIC
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