Australian Trucking Association (ATA) Chair Mark Parry has urged Australia’s governments to shift their approach in truck driver licensing to both increase safety and encourage new faces into the industry.
Parry called for the action during the release of the ATA’s Plan for Truck Driver Licensing, which was developed with advice from a workforce and driver training summit in June.
He believes a mandatory “minimum behind the wheel training time” included in driver training and that drivers should be allowed to progress to new licence types based on real driving hours.
“The association of government transport agencies, Austroads, has done an extended review of driver licensing, but governments now need to act,” Parry says.
“Many driving training organisations do a great job. Others train to a price or a time. Driver trainers must be assessed more rigorously, by experienced auditors who understand driver training and competencies.
“There should be minimum behind the wheel training times, with the driver training experts at our summit proposing longer training times for discussion than the ones put forward by Austroads.
“At present, truck drivers progress through the licensing classes on a time basis. For example, once you have a medium or heavy rigid truck licence, you must wait a year before you can get a heavy combination (HC) licence.
“You are not required to use your licence and build up your driving skills and experience.
“Austroads has proposed that drivers should also be able to advance through the licence classes based on their driving hours, with accelerated progression for drivers who are supervised. There would still be training and assessment requirements.
“We support these new pathways, but the existing time-based option should be removed. There is no connection between the passage of time and driving skill.”
Parry also believes the current MC class should be split in two to reflect extra skills and competence required to operate larger combinations such as triple road trains, quads, and quins.
He believes alterations in driver licensing and training could push more people to pursue careers as a driver.
“Truck driving is highly skilled, but the issues with the licensing system mean that many drivers end up having to learn critical safety skills and attitudes on the job,” Parry continues.
“Our summit participants told us about job applicants who had gone to the time and effort of getting a licence and then being offered a job, only to discover during their employer induction that they did not meet the driver medical standards.
“Many people who might consider a driving job can’t see a connection between getting a licence and having the skills to work safely and confidently in the industry.
“Strengthening driver licensing is a vital step toward encouraging more people with a safety-first attitude to join the industry.”
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