This issue is crucial as the freight task grows inexorably
During the past 18 months, our industry has faced unprecedented change. This is why the NHVR remains focused on our safety and productivity goals.
Right now, we’re grappling with the pressures of Covid-19, as well as a rapidly growing national freight task – set to increase by another 80 per cent by 2030.
As we progress a safe, efficient, and productive heavy vehicle industry to support a strong and prosperous Australia, a key roadmap is our Heavy Vehicle Productivity Plan 2020-25 (HVPP).
The HVPP outlines how we will work with industry and government to identify and deliver on non-infrastructure productivity solutions.
Close to one year since releasing the HVPP, the NHVR has completed or significantly progressed 30 of our outlined goals.
One key initiative is the Strategic Local Government Asset Assessment Project being delivered in partnership with Federal Government and local governments. It will help road managers assess key infrastructure assets along regional and remote freight routes.
The project enables a higher level of identification, assessment and reporting of bridges, road and culverts, in order to improve access for heavy vehicles across regional freight routes, focus on priority routes to connect regions and provide seamless access across jurisdictions and build capacity of local government to conduct risk-based assessments and optimise network use.
It will also provide asset information to heavy vehicle operators to enable transparency of access.
An example of the benefits and productivity of standard assessments can be seen with the Bega Valley Shire’s Greendale Bridge, which travels over the Brogo River and connects to the A1 Princes Highway.
Following assessment, NHVR officers and local road managers determined that the bridge can safely carry A-double milk tankers – enabling greater access and improving productivity through a shorter available route.
I’m proud to say that the federal government has agreed to extend funding to the program for another three years to deliver up to 1,000 asset assessments and continue to drive productivity and access for the industry.
We’ve also been working in partnership with government, industry and local farmers to deliver productivity improvements for the agricultural sector. We recently developed a new notice – the National Class 1 Agricultural Vehicle and Combination Mass and Dimension Exemption Notice – which allows farmers to perform a simple braking test using everyday equipment, enabling them to carry heavier loads, safely.
Read how the NHVR viewed the Productivity Commission’s industry report, here
This year, we also delivered a new National Road Train Prime Mover Notice, which allows road train prime movers to access more networks and complete their journey while operating in combinations other than a road train.
This Notice allows drivers a smoother, more productive decoupling process, and a consistent approach to regulation between the states and territories.
Improving heavy vehicle and access and route planning is also a key focus for our plan to improve productivity, which is why we’re developing a single national mapping solution for industry.
Through the NHVR’s spatial program, industry will have access to important information on approved routes and road conditions in one location for the first time, and road managers will be able to better manage their gazetted and pre-approved networks.
The spatial mapping solution will improve productivity through intelligent route planning to better match vehicles to the right roads, and road manager self-service capabilities will assist to accelerate network growth.
Together, we’ve delivered some great productivity outcomes over the past year, but there is a lot of important work still ahead of us. We will continue to rely on data, technology, policy and innovative practices to deliver productivity outcomes for governments and industry.
I encourage you to reach out to the NHVR if there are productivity measures not captured as part of the Heavy Vehicle Productivity Plan. We all have a role to play in creating a more productive and efficient road network; keeping safety at the heart of everything we do.
Sal Petroccitto is CEO of the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR)