Five Star Safety Rating System initiative sees the first meeting of national steering committee
October 30, 2013
The Five Star Safety Rating System is another step down its allotted track with the first meeting of the national steering committee appointed to examine the proposed initiative.
Examining the system’s potential value to the industry was recognised by the Standing Council on Transport and Infrastructure (SCOTI) in May as a worthy responsibility of the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR).
Chaired by its leading proponent, prominent industry identity Ron Finemore, the joint government and industry committee “confirmed that the focus of Five Star is to improve safety in the road freight industry”, the NHVR says.
“The project will examine ways to more effectively recognise road transport operators who invest in safety management systems and who demonstrate strong safety and compliance performance.”
In other developments from the committee’s first meeting, it:
- noted that a clear and simple rating system has the potential to improve community acceptance of road freight, could make use of existing effective safety management systems, and should avoid and reduce any unnecessary overlap or duplication amongst existing systems
- agreed that the transport and logistics industry, government agencies and other stakeholders will be consulted throughout the project
- will consider a possible pilot of the Five Star concept during the course of the project.
The Five Star project is to be managed by the NHVR, with the support of the National Transport Commission and the New South Wales Government.
The NHVR has $6 million in Federal and NSW funding for the project over the next two years with further support and input being provided by the National Transport Commission and the NSW Government.
A report from the project is scheduled to be delivered to SCOTI before 2016.
Committee members are:
Chris Brooks, National Transport Manager & 3PL Manager, Woolworths; Geoff Crouch, President, Natroad; Laurie D’Apice, President, Human Resources Asia Pacific Linfox Logistics; Ingilby Dickson, General Manager, Supply Chain and Processing, Bluescope Steel; Diana Hallam, Group Manager, Public Policy and Research, Toll Group; Philip Halton, General Manager, Strategy and Business Development, NHVR (ex-officio member); Richard Hancock, CEO, NHVR (ex-officio member); Sarah Jones, Project Director, Heavy Vehicle Compliance and Technology, National Transport Commission (ex-officio member); Stephen Marley, Chair, TruckSafe; Steve Shearer, Executive Director, South Australian Road Transport Association; Tony Sheldon, National Secretary, Transport Workers’ Union; David Smith, President, Livestock and Rural Transporters Association of South Australia; Peter Wells, Director, Safety and Compliance, Roads and Maritime Services (ex-officio member).
Other officers and advisors in attendance at the meeting were:
Polo Guilbert-Wright, Advisor to Tony Sheldon; Patricia Grunert, General Manager, Heavy Vehicles Branch, RMS; Andrew Higginson, Advisor to the chairman; Christopher Richards, Manager, Special Projects, Heavy Vehicles Branch, RMS.
