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Tasmania backs heavy vehicle driver training program

TTA effort to get newly licensed drivers up to the mark praised

 

The Tasmanian government will provide $80,000 to the Tasmanian Transport Association (TTA) to support a pilot program to bring new job-ready heavy vehicle drivers into the transport industry.

State infrastructure and transport minister Michael Ferguson said that the industry employs 12,500 Tasmanians but has an ageing workforce – the oldest across all industries in Tasmania – and faces strong competition in attracting young people.

Many Tasmanians have a heavy vehicle licence but more training is needed to prepare a person to be a safe, productive and responsible driver, Ferguson observed.

The TTA has developed a plan to bridge this gap.

The Heavy Vehicle Drivers Licence Plus program aims “to take people beyond the heavy vehicle driver licence and make them job ready”.


Read about the TTA’s plan to tackle the driver shortfall , here


“The TTA has done a great deal of work in developing the program and the grant will allow the organisation to pilot it, with trials of up to 30 participants from across the state,” Ferguson said.

“The applicants will go through a selection process run by the TTA, partnering with job network providers.

“The program will include key industry competencies in fatigue management, load restraint, customer service skills, and an introduction to the heavy vehicle national law and chain of responsibility.

“Importantly, as an industry-led program, this will create connections between the participants and potential employers.

“The government understands the crucial role the transport sector plays in supporting the growing Tasmanian economy and supporting our way of life, and the training program will help ensure it has the people it needs to continue to grow.”

Ferguson noted that providing infrastructure to support drivers is also a key part to the effective risk management programs for the Heavy Vehicle industry.

Tenders have recently been advertised for the construction of heavy vehicle rest area on the Bass Highway at Howth, which will provide facilities to create a safe and convenient working environment.

This project is one of several identified under the Tasmanian Heavy Vehicle Driver Rest Area Strategy released in late last year.

Some $5 million – $4 million from the federal government and $1 million from the state government – has been allocated to start the design and construction of these facilities.

Three other facilities under the strategy will be completed next year:

  • East Tamar Highway near the Bridport Road junction
  • Midland Highway at Pontville
  • Glenstone Road at the Brighton Hub.

 

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