At the end of last year, the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) released a bundle of information regarding its national effort to boost safety for all heavy vehicle road users. Darren Chester, the Federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister, has made it clear that heavy vehicle safety education should be able to span much further than just truck driver – and should extend to all heavy vehicle operators and parties involved in the operation.
Although there are different classes, a heavy vehicle commonly comprises of a vehicle that is over 4.5 tonnes in mass. For example, this can include cranes, trucks, and agricultural vehicles.
“Whether you perform the tasks of a packer, loader, unloader, loading manager or an executive of an organisation that performs these tasks, you have a responsibility for heavy vehicle safety,” he said.
“There have been cases where poor business practices, delays with loading or incorrectly packing goods has led to pressure on drivers and increased the risk of an incident.
“This new material will help make sure that all parties understand their responsibilities and how to go about preventing breaches of mass, dimension, loading, speed, restraint and fatigue laws.
“The six fact sheets and podcasts are steps towards ensuring all members of the supply chain recognise and fulfil their crucial role in heavy vehicle safety.”
The information that was released, which consists of factsheets and podcasts, covers common breaches of the law as well as the responsibilities for anyone in the heavy vehicle supply chain. This includes schedulers, packers, managers, providers and low-cost steps to make an operation safer.
The CEO of NHVR, Sal Petroccitto, stated late last year NHVR had met with more than 60 heavy vehicle operators and key parties in the supply chain to test the standards that were proposed for compliance with relevant laws.
“These education tools are an important part of NHVR’s Chain of Responsibility education program to be rolled out over the next 18 months,” Petroccitto said.
The benefits we expect to see with this rollout of information are large. It’s paramount that all levels of the supply chain are addressed, as broken laws are often caused by other parties than the operators of the heavy vehicles themselves. As well as this, by law every party involved in operating a vehicle, either directly or indirectly, must educate themselves and be up to date with the latest legalities and regulations.
According to the NHVR website, if you are in breach of your legal obligations, a number of actions or penalties may be taken against you, depending on the severity of your breach. You may, for example, be subject to:
- warnings/education
- improvement notices
- infringement/expiation notices
- court imposed fines
- Supervisory Intervention Orders
- Road Compensation Orders
- Commercial Benefits Orders
- Prohibition Orders
- licensing and registration sanctions
The release of this readily available and widely spread information will result in less breaches, safer drivers and therefore more hospitable roads for everyone nationwide.
Whether it be a truck driver, a hire company such as Membrey’s Crane Hire & Transport or someone who works in the warehouse where the products being delivered are located – this information is important for all. Have you and your company taken the right steps to ensure safety? Visit https://www.nhvr.gov.au/ to access the factsheets today.
