An intrusive "big brother" system to record all driver activities will follow in the wake of the Intelligence Access Program
An intrusive “big brother” system to record all driver activities will follow in the wake of the Intelligence Access Program (IAP), according to Peter Goed, Executive Director of the Northern Territory branch of the Australian Trucking Association.
Goed says the United States has developed a monitoring system to record and relay to authorities information about driver license details, vehicle identification numbers, log book details “and just about everything else the vehicle or the driver do”.
While no announcement has been made by governments, it “will only be a matter of time” until the US initiative is working in conjunction with IAP, according to Goed.
“Once IAP is in place a lot of this stuff will probably back it up,” he says.
“It’s big brother stuff.”
There is concern in the industry once IAP is enforced governments will introduce a range of big brother-type systems designed to intrude upon business and operators.
“Once you have got the mechanisms in place it is easy to expand upon it,” Goed says.
“How far do we go with this stuff?”
If introduced, the US-styled monitoring system stands to do little in gaining industry support. Trucking organisations have repeatedly raised opposition to IAP, with officials questioning who really benefits from being monitored.
Australian Road Train Association Chief Executive Duncan Bremner labels IAP nothing more than a “policing device”.
However, Phillip Halton, General Manager of Compliance and Freight Strategy at New South Wales Road and Traffic Authority, says IAP is a route compliance tool.
He says IAP will be essential where aging bridges and road networks are concerned because it will ensure operators do not travel on networks that may be incapable of supporting heavy vehicles.