Managing the risks when a non-compliant heavy vehicle arrives at your premises

The Federal Government’s first Budget delivered an additional $80 million for new and upgraded heavy vehicle rest areas across the country, bringing dedicated heavy vehicle rest area funding up to $140 million over 10 years.

Heavy vehicle drivers in Australia deserve access to the facilities they need when they need them, just like every other worker.

A steering committee will be established to guide the process and give truckies a voice in shaping the projects which are funded through this initiative.

Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Carol Brown, is thrilled to announce Senator Glenn Sterle as the Chair of the committee.

The committee will share strategic advice and set priorities for heavy vehicle rest area projects, as truck drivers themselves know more than most about the missing gaps in our rest area network.

Senator Sterle bought his first truck at 20, after spending time as a furniture removalist offsider during the school holidays. Senator Sterle then spent 12 years driving road trains between Perth and Darwin.

Senator Sterle is well known around Parliament for delivering the very chairs he now sits in while representing the people of Western Australia in the Senate.

The selection of Senator Sterle as the Chair is a fantastic first step in delivering this $140 million package.

Senator Sterle will be joined on the committee by five long-haul truck drivers and four representatives from industry organisations.

The drivers will be selected through an expression of interest process.

The Government are looking for drivers with long-haul experience and who know what drivers need. Anyone with an interest in rest areas and a desire to improve conditions for themselves and fellow drivers is encouraged to complete an expression of interest.

Funding for the package will be delivered through the existing Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program. Interested long-haul drivers can express their interest via: HVSPP-eoi.docx (live.com). 5000 South Korean truck drivers refused to return to work and called on their government to make permanent a minimum freight rate system for shipping containers and cement that was due to expire at the end of 2022.

Drivers are also demanded that the minimum rates system be expanded to include oil and chemical tankers, steel and automobile carriers and package delivery trucks.

Their government offered to temporarily extend the current system for three years and issued a return-to-work order for cement drivers - a breach of which can result in three years jail or a fine of $34,000.

The Australian Federal Government has committed to reintroducing minimum freight rates and conditions for owner-drivers in Australia.

Woodside Energy has shipped an LNG cargo to Europe on board the Woodside Rees Withers from Australia’s North West Shelf and delivered it to Uniper Global Commodities SE.

The cargo of approximately 75,000 tonnes of LNG (100 million cubic meters of natural gas) was delivered on 27 November 2022 to the Gate Terminal located on Maasvlakte in Rotterdam, and will contribute to natural gas supply in Northwest and Central Europe.

Uniper’s Director LNG Andreas Gemballa said, “We continue to work on securing the much needed gas supply into Europe from reliable sources like Australia and thus helping to strengthen security of supply during the ongoing crisis triggered by the Russian war.

Whilst this information is relative to the NHVR, it is something that all of industry deals with and in order to protect your business – a procedure and good communication between all parties must be established.

So what do the NHVR suggest you do if a non-compliant heavy vehicle arrives at your premises?

They actually say a lot about what not to do saying, “Turning a truck away does not absolve your responsibilities as a CoR party and could be a breach of your primary duty obligations. Refusing entry to a non-compliant heavy vehicle, without good reason, could potentially increase the risk of danger to the public and other road users, damage to infrastructure, and contamination of the environment.

The NHVR’s latest Regulatory Advice tackles this complicated issue, taking a look at how to determine what to do when a non-compliant vehicle arrives at your premises, how to manage the risks associated with non-compliant heavy vehicles arriving at premise and obligations under the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL).

The NHVR say, “Your business can contribute to improved safety in the industry by developing your own procedures for dealing with non-compliant vehicles, discussing these procedures with your business partners, and implementing them at your premises. This regulatory advice will help you navigate your way through this. To view managing the risks associated with non-compliant heavy vehicles visit: www. nhvr.gov.au/safety-accreditation-compliance/ chain-of-responsibility/regulatory-advice/ managing-the-risks-associated-with-noncompliant-heavy-vehicles-arriving-atpremises