ATA welcomes that and continued progress on national forward road expenditure plan and heavy vehicle road asset service standards
The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) has welcomed moves to make trucking businesses and their executives legally accountable for heavy vehicle maintenance.
Today’s meeting of the Transport and Infrastructure Council, which consists of state, territory, and national transport ministers from Australia and New Zealand, confirmed chain of responsibility laws would be extended to vehicle maintenance across all jurisdictions.
ATA CEO Christopher Melham says it’s something his organisation has been lobbying for since 2013.
“Maintenance levels are generally very good in our industry. As operators, we put a great deal of effort into making sure our equipment is safe,” Melham says.
“However, some businesses may feel pressured to skimp on maintenance in order to save money and time.
“At present, company directors and executives can be held to account under the chain of responsibility legislation if their business does not take all reasonable steps to prevent fatigue and speed breaches. But there are no similar requirements for maintenance.”
The ATA also welcomed continued progress on national forward road expenditure plan and heavy vehicle road asset service standards, as part of the council’s ongoing heavy vehicle road reform program.
“Before our industry can even consider the long-discussed idea of direct road pricing, it’s essential that governments know what they own,” he says.
“They must have forward expenditure plans that we can rely on, and must have service standards so the infrastructure they expect us to buy is fit for purpose.”