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VIEW CATALOGUE
LIVESTOCK SUPPLY CHAIN REVIEW
ALRTA has lodged a comprehensive submission to the NHVR Issues Paper on ‘Improving Awareness and Practices in the Livestock Supply Chain’. The final submission included 27 recommendations relating to the operation of chain of responsibility, livestock loading schemes, critical steps for compliant loading and education and awareness.
ALRTA President Stephen Marley said that the review is an opportunity to improve the regulator’s understanding of the livestock supply chain and to highlight problems associated with regulatory inconsistencies across HVNL jurisdictions.
“Livestock transport is like no other task in the road freight sector. Operators and drivers are simultaneously required to adhere to animal welfare laws and road transport laws,” said President Marley.
“The legislated Land Transport Standards mandate that livestock is loaded at specified densities. It is detrimental to animal welfare to overload or underload.
“Commercial livestock crates are regulated under Australian Design Rules, HVNL regulations and the rules of state livestock loading schemes. Crate dimensions are limited to 12.5m length, 4.6m height and 2.5m width.
“It is normal practice to fully load livestock crates in accordance with the Land Transport Standards. This will produce a compliant outcome under the rules of livestock loading schemes in Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania.
“However, livestock loading scheme rules are substantially different in NSW. Operators who fully comply with the loading densities specified in the Land Transport Standards may not comply with NSW mass limits because of natural variations between individual animals and inaccurate or absent mass disclosures by consignors.
“This stark regulatory inconsistency means that the same combination, loaded the same way, can be entirely compliant in all HVNL jurisdictions except NSW.
“One of the primary mandates of the HVNL and NHVR is to achieve regulatory consistency. Given there is no evidence to suggest safety or infrastructure outcomes for livestock vehicles differ across HVNL jurisdictions, it should be a key priority for the NHVR to bring the NSW livestock loading scheme into line with all other HVNL jurisdictions. At the very least, the 0.5t tri-axle tolerance should be immediately increased to 1.0t in line with the tolerance now available for other vehicles,” he said.
EXPANDED ROAD TRAIN NETWORK
A new road train network for Victoria, improvements to cross-border travel and fewer requirements for access permits will begin under a new national road train notice.
Assistant Minister for Road Safety and Freight Transport Scott Buchholz said the 2020 National Class 2 Road Train Notice will commence on Thursday in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria, where road trains carry more than 15 billion tonnes-km of freight every year.
“Since the original national road train notice was introduced, we’ve seen significant growth in the freight task, as well as the productivity and safety benefits of harmonised networks,” Mr Buchholz said.
“I’m grateful to all the road authorities for taking the time to work with the NHVR to upgrade the notice and update the national road train networks, and I’m delighted that this has been agreed to by all road managers.”
The 2020 National Class 2 Road Train Notice replaces the 2015 National Class 2 Road Train Notice.
NHVR Chief Regulatory Policy and Standards Officer Don Hogben said the NHVR had been working closely with state and local government road managers to develop the notice, which consolidates road train combination requirements, facilitates cross-border access and reduces permit requirements for operators.
“For the first time, Victoria is part of the national road train notice, granting access to 36.5m A-doubles on a road network previously only accessible by permit,” Mr Hogben said.
“South Australia has enabled access under the Notice to 30m A-doubles, 36.5m B-triples and AB-triples, as well as rigid trucks towing two dog trailers – significantly reducing the number of permits required by operators of these combinations.
“Also, a number of eligible road trains can now access a single, Type 2 road train network, while previous access was only for specific Type 2 combinations. This aligns with existing arrangements in Queensland.”
The notice will also provide standard definitions and categorisation of road train configurations and improve the overall consistency of access and vehicle conditions.
For more information view the National Class 2 Road Train Notice page.
Benefits of 2020 National Road Train Notice:
- simplified and more nationally consistent conditions for road trains, supporting more seamless cross-border access.
- consolidated access to a number of Type 2 road trains on a single Type 2 road train network.
- a new Victorian road network for 36.5m A-doubles.
- access for the first time (under notice) in South Australia for 30m A-doubles, 36.5m B-triples and AB-triples, and rigid trucks towing two dog trailers.
GOVERNMENTS MUST RULE OUT PLAN TO TAX TRUCKS
Australia’s governments must immediately rule out a public service proposal to tax trucks and benefit the rail system, Australian Trucking Association Chair David Smith said today.
The plans are outlined in an Austroads issues paper on decarbonising the road transport network. The issues paper argues that increasing taxes on small trucking businesses would provide a ‘strong mechanism for influencing and enabling emission reductions.’
The report goes on to say that ‘road pricing can provide a discretionary pricing mechanism between modes within the same corridor that incentivise mode shift to a lower emissions option.’
“Let’s turn this into plain English. Behind the big words, the report is proposing increasing taxes on small trucking businesses to benefit large corporate rail operators,” Mr Smith said.
“Trucking is, and always has been, very prepared to pay our fair share, but will not pay more than that.
“This plan would have extreme financial impacts on hardworking trucking businesses, and only increase prices on everyday goods and Aussie exports, affecting everyday Australians,” he said.
Mr Smith said the report failed to consider the emission benefits of increasing the use of high productivity freight vehicles.
“By using an A-double instead of a semi-trailer to move 1000 tonnes of freight, emissions can be reduced by 28 per cent, and the number of truck trips required can be halved,” Mr Smith said.
“Austroads has ignored one of the main opportunities for emissions reduction in road freight, demonstrating that their report was not well researched and does not provide an accurate representation of the available options,” he said.
Mr Smith said that the report also ignored the draft Productivity Commission report on national transport regulatory reform, which found it was not possible to assume that all traffic on a highway could be replaced by rail.
“Rail does not deliver to supermarkets or many local communities. These deliveries rely on trucks,” Mr Smith said.
“Road and rail are largely complementary modes of transport. Choice of mode should be a commercial decision, and government regulation should be neutral,” Mr Smith said.
ACCREDITATION APPLICATIONS
All NHVAS applications and transaction will be required to be lodged via the NHVR Portal from Wednesday, July 1.
If you are an existing NHVR Portal user or have an Access, Registration or Vehicle Standards account, the NHVR Portal administrators on the account have not changed. Any additional Accreditation contacts can be added to the account with ‘User submitter’ permissions.
If you need any assistance in getting setting up your account or transitioning to the NHVR Portal, please visit the NHVR Portal Help Centre – Getting started using Accreditation or contact our Call Centre on 1300 696 487.
Applications can also be sent via post or fax where a digital platform is unavailable.
FATIGUE MODULE DELIVERY
A temporary amendment is in place to allow NHVAS fatigue management training modules by Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) to be delivered via video conferencing, due to the requirement of social distancing and restriction related to coronavirus.
This applies for NHVR registered RTOs that have approval to deliver NHVAS fatigue management modules TLIF0005 and TLIF0006.
The RTO list will be regularly updated to include RTOs that have also been endorsed to deliver training by virtual means where required. This temporary change will remain until 30 September 2020 and will be reassessed as the social distancing and isolation restrictions change.
Click here for the list of NHVR registered RTOs on the Regulator’s website
REAR MARKER PLATES
The NHVR has agreed to extend the three-year transitional period for the transition to modern rear marker plates.
NHVR Manager Vehicle Safety and Performance Peter Austin said the NHVR would move to a ‘grandfathering approach’ that would allow industry to upgrade plates when they are next due for replacement, rather than a fixed transition date.
PREVIEW NEW NVD
National Vendor Declarations are changing. The new NVD will be accepted from 1 July 2020, but you can still use the old version until 31 December 2020.
To view a sample of the new NVDs click here.
MEETING NOTICE: ALRTA COUNCIL
Members are advised that the next ALRTA Council meeting will be held from 9:30am (AEST) on 10 July 2020.
This meeting will be held remotely via technology. Participation details will be sent to the Secretariats of ALRTA Member States prior to the meeting.
NTI – THANK YOU CAMPAIGN
“Wind and waves, the ocean braved and also in the air Every cargo carried…and the risk is always there But every time you get it done for those who sell & buy You keep Australia moving – so thanks… from nti.”
The poems by Rupert McGall are aired on radio across the country, with billboards appearing nationally. More information on the campaign and to see the video with this poem (video 4) can be viewed here.
FRIDAY FUNNY
A boy asks his father, “Dad, are bugs good to eat?” “That’s disgusting. Don’t talk about things like that over dinner,” the dad replies.
After dinner the father asks, “Now, son, what did you want to ask me?” “Oh, nothing,” the boy says. “There was a bug in your soup, but now it’s gone.”
ALRTA STAFF AVAILABILITY AMIDST COVID19
From 24 March 2020 the ALRTA staff – Mathew, Sue, Colleen and Jack are working from home amidst COVID-19.
Please email office@alrta.org.au or call Colleen on the ALRTA mobile 0490 515 681 or Mathew (ED) on 0421 082 489.
UPDATE ON EVENTS FOR 2020
LRTAQ (QLD) on 19-21 March 2020 at Roma QLD. – POSTPONED
LTAT (TAS) on 2 May 2020 in Hobart TAS. – POSTPONED
LRTASA (SA)on 12-13 June 2020 at Adelaide Entertainment Centre SA. – CANCELLED
LRTAWA/ALRTA (WA & National) on 24-25 July 2020. Perth WA.- POSTPONED until further notice
LRTAV (VIC) on 14-15 August 2020 at All Seasons Resort Bendigo VIC – POSTPONED
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