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Opinion: Searching high and low for right reforms

Industry is pressing on with the Heavy Vehicle National Law review

 

The Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) review is fast progressing, with the National Transport Commission (NTC) releasing its consultation regulation impact statement, or RIS, on potential options for changing the law.

The NTC did an impressive job consulting industry and identifying options for assessment. The 24-page HVNL 2.0 scenario document it released with the RIS is particularly valuable, because it condenses 192 pages of complex options into what the new law could, but does not have to, look like.

The NTC is being guided through the process by an expert panel that includes three members from Australian Trucking Association (ATA) member associations – Sharon Middleton, Gary Mahon and Louise Bilato.

They are doing an outstanding job.

The ATA has made five detailed submissions to the review so far. They include pre-drafted amendments to the law and engineering drawings of how sleeper cabs could be widened safely.

To ensure that truck drivers and operators are fairly represented in the review process, we included collaboration sessions in our 2019 Trucking Australia conference and ran a highly engaging ‘Have Your Say’ campaign.

The collaboration sessions at Trucking Australia saw industry members, including truck drivers, work together to develop practical solutions to three key issues: heavy vehicle access, truck rest areas and fatigue management.

The outcomes of these sessions were then collated and provided to the NTC.


Read Ben Maguire’s call for effective fatigue laws, here


As the HVNL review got underway in 2019, we kept hearing that truck drivers felt they weren’t able to share their thoughts. Some didn’t even know there was a review.

So, the ATA delivered a national campaign, including a dedicated SMS number.

Our consultation process drew on the one we built with the Australian Logistics Council (ALC) to develop the master industry code of practice, which included an effective program of engagement and consultation with industry representatives and other stakeholders.

The response we received was overwhelming.

During the four-month-long campaign, we connected with nearly 190,000 people and gathered more than 110 pieces of constructive feedback. We sent every single piece of feedback we received to the NTC for consideration.

With the release of the RIS, we are now starting to assess the options the NTC has proposed. An RIS is supposed to include all the practical policy options that can be put in place. The NTC has done that.

Many of the options reflect the ideas put forward by the ATA and its member associations, including stronger medical standards, recognising accreditation schemes like TruckSafe and simplifying the fatigue rules.

Other options are not as positive, and we’ll argue against them vigorously.

One is that local councils should be able to reject road access permit applications to force the freight onto rail. We need government policies that will increase the productivity of the transport sector – not reduce it.

In our submissions, we will also argue that the final version of the RIS will need to take a stronger approach to assessing the benefits and costs of each option.

Ideally, a RIS should measure benefits and costs in dollars, so options can be compared against each other. In the absence of robust estimates, this RIS assesses options according to whether their benefits are positive, negative or unclear. The ATA will work hard to firm up those estimates.

As we progress with the review and gain a greater understanding of how the new laws may work, the ATA will work closely with our members to ensure they reflect the needs of drivers and operators.

This is our chance to simplify the laws and make a real impact on the way trucking businesses operate. This is our chance to slash red tape, increase productivity and improve safety.

Ben Maguire is CEO of the Australian Trucking Association

 

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