Queensland's TMR gives Tully-based produce carrying company tick on three NHVAS modules
Blenners Transport has had some good news after a tough past 12 months.
Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) has informed the company that it has successfully dealt with aspects of National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme (NHVAS) identified during spot checks of the company in March 4 and 5.
“The Department of Transport and Main Roads has received your responses to the Corrective Action Requests (CARs) from the NHVAS Maintenance, Mass and Basic Fatigue Management spot check conducted at your Tully premises on 4-5 March 2014,” the letter from Allan Bennetts, Senior Commercial Systems Auditor at TMR’s Industry & Operator Authorisation section, states.
“Your responses have now satisfied these requests and no further action is required on all three modules.
“I would like to thank your staff for their cooperation and support in closing these CARs.”
Blennners Managing Director Les Blennerhassett has written to customers highlighting the development.
“The results of the Department of Transport and Main Roads spot checks does not surprise us,” Blennerhassett writes.
“We passed TruckSafe, Mass, Maintenance and Fatigue Audits in May 2013 and NHVS accreditation has been passed until September 2014.”
Blenners came to wider national prominence during an ABC Four Corners program in February on fatigue and maintenance issues in the trucking industry, which aired allegations from a former employee.
TMR then announced it was prosecuting the company, two directors and two managers.
“These complaints relate to 742 charges, including chain of responsibility offences, breaching the requirements of an improvement notice and breaching the Basic Fatigue Management Accreditation conditions,” the department told ATN at the time.
In his letter to customers, Blennerhassett decried the media attention given to the former employee’s allegations, adding that “we hope to address those allegations in Court”.
“On behalf of the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator, Transport and Main Roads conducted an audit on Blenners Transport in March 2014 in relation to their accreditation under the National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme,” an NHVR spokesperson says.
“The NHVR is currently awaiting the official findings of the audit conducted by TMR.”
A response from TMR awaited at deadline today.