The annual event was an opportunity for industry members to discuss livestock and rural transport issues
Senior representatives from the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) discussed some of the key safety issues and current initiatives during this year’s Livestock and Rural Transporters Association (LRTAV) Conference this month.
The two-day conference, which was held from August 11-12 in Torquay, was attended by government officials and members of the industry.
Attendees discussed various aspects of livestock freight transport, with special focus on safety and improvements in regional Victoria.
NHVR
NHVR executive director productivity and safety Geoff Casey discussed some of the upcoming changes to the chain of responsibility (COR) laws and what the industry should do to prepare itself for these changes.
Speaking about the National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme (NHVAS), Casey said program is in a “continuous improvement” phase, with more modules due to be added to align with changes to COR.
Casey said the regulator is exploring the possibility for a third template related to livestock fatigue, which will allow more flexibility for longer tasks with offsets to counter risk of fatigue and better cross state scheduling.
The template is currently being reviewed by the Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association (ALRTA).
Casey said NHVR is considering an ALRTA proposal to allow personal use of work-related vehicles at the end of a driver’s shift to, for instance, obtain a meal at the end of their journey.
He also discussed the results of NHVR’s National Harmonisation Program and the National Roadworthiness Baseline Survey (NRBS), and industry codes of practice.
Casey outlined the benefits of ALRTA’s Crate Pivot Access Landing Frame project that has been developed in association with LRTAV, and which is part of the $3.9 million funding under NHVR’s Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative program.
LRTAV vice president John Beer also discussed the potential benefits associated with NHVR’s safety funding.
Meanwhile, NHVR stakeholder specialist Simone Reinertsen discussed the scope of local government involvement to expedite transport access for the livestock freight sector.
Other issues
Victorian state MP for South-West Coast Roma Britnell, who opened the second day of the conference, talked about the importance of freight carriers to the agriculture sector and the overall economy of the state.
Britnell is urging the government to invest more on roads and small businesses in the sector.
WorkSafe Victoria regional operations manager Ian Matthews outlined works carried out in collaboration with LRTAV including saleyard developments and other issues related to regional and livestock transport.
ALRTA also took the opportunity to present the highlights from its research trip to New Zealand earlier this year to explore possibilities for effluent control systems that can be implemented in Australia.
Awards
The two-day conference also featured three award presentations – the Shane Knight Memorial Award, the NHVR/ALRTA Safety Innovation Award, and the LRTAV Young Driver of the Year.
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Neil Winslade
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Neil Winslade from O’Sullivan’s Transport Elmore was named this year’s LRTAV Young Driver of the Year, winning prizes valued at $4000.
Karl Morley from Howell Livestock Transport was the runner-up receiving prizes worth $1000.
The other two finalists Wes Russell from Transedel Pty Ltd and Peter Morris of Morris Transport were also acknowledged for their outstanding work.