Operator licensing and chain of responsibility top on the list
The Australian Logistics Council has identified 11 action points aimed at improving supply chain efficiency and Chain of Responsibility (CoR) changes during its two-day Supply Chain Safety & Compliance Summit in Melbourne this week.
The top of the list is the issue of operator licensing – a subject discussed at length by UK’s Freight Transport Association (FTA) deputy chief executive James Hookham.
He says the concept of operator licensing, which has been in place in the UK for almost four decades, could be successfully applied in Australia.
The ALC also already pledged its support in the matter and promised to push the issue across all states.
Other issues in focus include the alignment of CoR and Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) legislation.
At the end of the summit, ALC set out its priority list of actions that will remain in focus over the next 12 months including:
- Based on the potential safety and efficiency benefits of operator licensing, ALC to advocate the introduction of an operating licensing scheme in Australia.
- ALC to develop key performance indicators (KPIs) for CoR board reporting.
- ALC to work collaboratively with the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) to progress the development and implementation of industry-led codes, which will be compliant with the NHVR guideline on industry codes of practice, to achieve improved safety and compliance outcomes.
- ALC recognises the benefits of technologies, such as data capturing equipment, to improve safety outcomes, and will advocate for its mandatory roll-out to improve safety and to meet companies CoR obligations.
- Industry to be proactive in providing input to the NHVR’s national supply chain survey to paint an accurate picture of the supply chain to inform the development and delivery of the NHVR’s information and tools.
- ALC to explore opportunities for supply chain participants to work more collaboratively to improve the weighing of heavy vehicles.
- Recognition that there is a shared responsibility in regards to WHS and CoR compliance from both a company and individual perspective.
- ALC, in collaboration with government, to focus on educating the supply chain on the efficiency benefits of implementing safe and compliant operations.
- ALC to strengthen its advocacy efforts to governments and regulators to reform privacy legislation to enable transport owner / operators to be alerted to breaches incurred in their vehicles.
- ALC to engage with policing agencies to better understand (and publicise) rates of illicit drug use to drive improved awareness and education.
- ALC to support regulators’ efforts to educate light vehicle drivers on sharing the road with heavy vehicles.
The event featured presentations, workshops and panel discussions where industry representatives, experts and business owners discussed ways to improve supply chain efficiency and safety.