Governments must rule out massive truck rego hike

Governments must immediately reject an outrageous proposal to increase truck registration charges by up to 220 per cent, CEO of the Australian Trucking Association, Andrew McKellar said.

The proposal is in a research report developed by Austroads, the peak organisation of state and territory road transport agencies. The report includes a proposal for massive increases in registration charges for older trucks.

“The Austroads report says that those operating an older truck could be forced to pay up to $20,000 in registration charges vehicles.147,000 heavy vehicles would be hit with the full 220 per cent increase.

“In total, the proposal would affect more than half of Australia’s heavy vehicle fleet.

“Hardworking small and family trucking businesses would be pushed right out of business and into financial hardship because they simply could not afford to keep their trucks on the road,” he said.

Mr McKellar said there were better ways of encouraging trucking operators to upgrade to newer, safer trucks.

“Last year, the ATA strongly argued for measures to help trucking businesses

The Austroads report says that those operating an older truck could be forced to pay up to $20,000 in registration charges per truck per year

per truck per year – that's a brutal 220 per cent increase from the current registration fee of $6,225 for a prime mover and semitrailer,” Mr McKellar said.

“Amidst the challenges of COVID-19 and the bushfires, the trucking industry has been on the frontline, working hard to get Australians back on their feet and communities supplied.

“And yet here we are, with an increase in charges that would hit about 400,000 heavy buy new equipment, which ultimately resulted in the Instant Asset Write Off and temporary full expensing,” he said.

“As a result of these measures, trucking businesses are lining up to buy new trucks.

“Instead of punishing businesses, we need to see more action from government to remove barriers to new vehicles, such as amending the truck dimension and weight rules and providing a temporary zero emission truck purchase incentive,” he said.

Australian Pork Limited has a project team working on African Swine Fever preparedness focused specifically on truck wash facilities and availability.

African Swine Fever has killed half of the world’s pig population and while it is not in Australia it has spread throughout Europe and Asia and is now in PNG and East Timor.

The survey APL are conducting asks for information on the truck wash facilities available to you when transporting pigs. This information will among other things help to inform industry and government investment in truck wash facilities.

The survey is confidential and takes about 10-15 minutes to complete. It can be completed on-line at massey.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/ SV_0NAuyH9uqB6NwrP or you can do the survey over the phone.

To complete the survey over the phone contact Kate Webster (0439 293 556 or email her at kwebster@mintrac.com.au to arrange a time that suits you.

The Accredited Mass Management Scheme (AMMS) was developed to provide the transport industry with a more flexible concessional loading scheme. It allows transport operators access to concessional mass limits, provided they have suitable loading controls in place.

AMMS allows for three concessional mass levels and does not prescribe the specific loading control methods that must be used or restrict commodity types. Rather, it allows for any product and any proven loading control method to be used. The loading controls must be able to control both the gross mass limit and axle group mass limits that apply to the vehicle. While any loading control method can be used, the following are some recognised methods to assist operators in meeting the requirements of AMMS.

Control Method #1 Using a Weighbridge: Having your vehicle’s individual axle groups weighed on a weighbridge prior to departure is one of the simplest and most reliable loading control methods. It gives assurance to the driver that their vehicle is loaded within the allowable mass limits of their permit and enables them to easily record this information as part of their trip records. It also ensures the driver can easily detect any overloads and rectify them prior to departure.

If the weighbridge you are using is an AMMS Approved Weighbridge, it will be listed on our website. An AMMS Approved Weighbridge will provide you with individual axle group weights, which can be included in your trip records.

Control Method #2 Using Portable Scales: Similar to using a weighbridge, measuring the vehicle’s axle groups at the ground using portable scales is a very reliable loading control method. It is important to remember that