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The road forward • Women in trucking First on the scene • Amber Wright – Where to after quads
At the TWU, we are relentless in the pursuit of building and exercising worker power, guided by clear, strong principles. We are committed to earning and keeping our members’ trust and bargaining collectively. We aim to hold corporations to account, empowering the workforce with a strong and powerful voice.
The TWU has a number of Enterprise Agreements in a myriad of transport companies. If you work for a company that has an EA with the TWU, you, along with all transport workers benefit from the years of struggle and collective action of union members before you.
And set the standard for transport workers into the future.
TWU Members also benefit from a range of services available only to members
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You should be a member of your union, the TWU if you enjoy these benefits like:
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Becoming a member of the TWU ensures you can maintain these rights into the future.
The Heavy Vehicle Helpdesk is open from: 7am to 6pm Monday to Friday, and WA Public Holidays.
On weekends the Main Roads Customer Information Centre will receive telephone calls on behalf of the Heavy Vehicle Helpdesk on 138 HVO (138 486) and email enquiries can be sent to hvs@mainroads.wa.gov.au
Tel: 138 486 Fax: 9475 8455
Email: hvs@mainroads.wa.gov.au www.mainroads.wa.gov.au
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Karen-Maree’ Kaye
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Karen-Maree' Kaye, Russell McKinnon
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Jan Cooper, Cam Dumesny, Cliff Graham, Carol Messenger, Ray Pratt
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hilst social media is great for connecting people, and AI is a wonderful tool if used meaningfully, I am starting to have concerns about the accuracy of some of the information that is shared, particularly on the WA trucking groups. It further surprises me the amount of people that believe what they read on these sites.
Some of the content is obviously AI generated but importantly it is not factual because AI can only propagate what it finds on the internet at this stage and much on there is biased, not researched and not verified.
This is what a journalist or writer does. They research their material looking at all angles to provide more than a one-sided view and they disclose their sources… And this is why magazines are so important to industry because what you are reading is factual.
In the case of WA Transport Magazine, we seek direct industry response where ever possible but these are from ‘experts’
in their fields whether they be drivers, transport business owners, industry bodies or the government.
The magazine is here to keep you informed about your industry and your state and give you advantages and opportunities in knowledge. If you read something in the magazine that you agree with, and have been talking to your friends about it – then be ‘thankful’ as it shows we are all on the same page and that is a good thing.
I am pleased to team up with the fabulous truck driving ladies in Australia through Women in Trucking Australia and in this edition bring you the lady that drove quads in the Pilbara and Kimberly – Amber Wright along with WiTA’s red carpet event that will be held this year.
As always, thank you to everyone who reads the magazine and supports it especially the advertisers and contributors.
Best,
Roads News - Heavy Vehicle Services Policies, Processes and Guidelines now available on our website
Amber Wright - After 15 years running the Pilbara and the Kimberly, what’s next?
Women in Trucking Australia (WiTA) bp 2025 Toots Awards Dinner
Compliance is a never-ending battle, but technology is reducing the
Every Month
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The merger solidifies the Fund’s position as a champion for Aussie workers, dedicated to protecting and growing their retirement savings. The rebrand is a powerful statement of both funds’ long-standing heritage in their respective industries. The name Team Super reflects the original industry base of both funds –transport, energy and mining workers, and a deep ongoing commitment to the history and service to these sectors.
Through the merger, TWUSUPER members have joined the best super fund for 2025, with Team Super being awarded Money magazine’s prestigious Fund of the Year award. The Fund has seen strong investment returns in recent years, exemplified by its super Growth investment option being recognised as the top performing growth fund in FY24 and FY23*.
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To help demystify super and help members make informed financial decisions, the team regularly visits work sites and industry events to deliver information sessions about financial wellbeing. This boots on the ground approach is supported by an Australian-based Contact Centre and a network of regional offices in key areas across Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. For more personalised support, comprehensive personal financial advice is available through Team Super Financial Advice.
If you’re a former TWUSUPER member, and would like to know more about the merger, please refer to the Fund’s website teamsuper.com/twusuper
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Team Super is the top specialist super fund for transport, energy and mining workers, with a strong history of helping deliver exceptional retirement outcomes to our members since 1941.
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Over to you
by Cam Dumesny, CEO
Successfully advocating for road transport and logistics industry is challenging as our industry priorities are rarely vote winners.
That challenge is further compounded in the current political atmosphere where environmental and social issues dominate.
A domination that often paints the road (in particular) transport industry as the public’s arch nemesis.
To prove my point, just count how often in announcing a project a transport minister anywhere in Australia says, “This project will take X number of trucks off the road”.
Inevitably, this results in road transport issues often struggling to gain real traction whether its road maintenance, rest areas investment, crippling red and green tape, restrictive curfews or access, and much more.
Basically, the issues that are important to our industry are not the same ones that Governments consider to be a priority.
At the transport level Governments for example are focused more on decarbonisation and mode shift (road to rail). Arguably both of which are more
socially and environmentally beneficial than economic.
Conversely, the public clamour is for cost-of-living relief. We saw that through the recent Federal Election where both major parties focused on “hand out” measures to help the average punter from the public purse. Neither major party seemed to have a solution to fixing the underlying causes.
Yet there are two reasons for hope for our industry issues.
Delivery of Promises: Elections are over and the reality of managing Government finances will become front and centre for treasurers and finance Ministers. Regardless of your political views, the reality is that both major parties are usually pretty good at keeping control of the national accounts. And therein lies our opportunity, these promises must be paid for and delivered, and I will explain later that is where our industry is vital.
Strategic Direction: At the broader State and National level there are major strategic policy visions, such as “Made in WA”,
economic diversification and national defence.
Again, like the delivery of election promises our industry has a largely unrecognised but vital role in ensuring a successful outcome for these strategic directions.
Ok, so that so far sounds a bit airy fairy. So here is what it means and why it can help our industry.
Western Roads Federation have prepared five papers for Government Ministers, that explain:
• The role of our industry in delivering their policy priority or election promise;
• How Western Roads Federation is already successfully doing that; and
• What our industry needs to keep helping the Government deliver its promises.
For Example, let’s take reshoring Australian Manufacturing which is a strategic policy objective of both State and Federal Government.
How does this Government priority
connect with our industry?
Well to remain viable, Western Australian (and Australian) manufacturers must access interstate and international markets. These markets include both input supply and output customer side.
It should be noted that manufacturing is comprised of usually widely dispersed sub-component makers whose output is transported along a chain of other value adding makers before final assembly prior to market distribution. For example, you may have a sub component parts manufacturers in Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide all of which has to transport their stuff to Perth where it’s put into a final product. Then you have to get the final product transported back to East Coast markets and off to global markets.
I am not speaking out of my rear orifice on this, I am speaking as a person who has grown two Australian manufacturing companies as a General Manager and Director into global markets. I have also been a senior executive of two Australian technology companies that were number one in the world in their market segments.
So, to enable a manufacturing vision, there must be a highly efficient, resilient, agile and innovative supply chain and
What Western Roads Federation is trying to do is try and look to which road the government wants to go and then say, “We see where you want to go, but here is a better road to get there”
logistics system. A system that isn’t about screwing down rates, but removing the inefficiency and wasted time.
All of that means our industry issues must be addressed by Government, IF they truly want to achieve their strategic vision of on-shore manufacturing.
And we can and are helping do that.
We have also prepared similar papers on other Government issues that will go to Ministers on the importance of our industry and how we can and are helping them to deliver on their promises. But it also highlights what we as an industry need to do, to do that successfully. Each paper directly aligns to Government priorities and shows how our industry can and is helping.
Other papers include:
• Industry Led De-Carbonisation
• Modernised, Innovative and Agile Workforce
• Resilience and National Defence
• Industry and Road Safety
Another paper on how Cost of Living is currently being prepared.
There is a tendency of our industry to fixate on the immediate issues rather than look to what is coming or where we are going. In other words, to just focus on the pothole ahead of the truck so to speak, rather than look to where the road ahead is taking us.
What Western Roads Federation is trying to do is try and look to which road the government wants to go and then say, “We see where you want to go, but here is a better road to get there”.
And that road we propose is one which addresses industry issues but still gets the government to where it wants to be.
It can be done; we are already doing it.
At the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) annual conference, Trucking Australia 25, in Adelaide as part of the lead-up to the event, they held a general council meeting.
At this meeting, the ALRTA put forward a motion for the industry to support a national position on recent driver licensing changes introduced in South Australia.
South Australia has introduced a change that no longer recognises overseas heavy vehicle driving experience for drivers seeking an MC licence. The change
applies to all countries except New Zealand.
Before applying for an MC licence, overseas drivers must now either:
• Hold a South Australian HR or HC licence for at least 12 months, or
• Complete the new MC Licence Program.
The ALRTA sought ATA support to see this South Australian position adopted nationally.
AUSTROADS — an independent advisory group to the states on roads
and road management — is currently working on this topic. The ATA council agreed to support the ALRTA’s position and will seek backing from the new federal transport minister after the election to adopt the South Australian changes across all states.
While this may only be an interim measure until the AUSTROADS recommendations are finalised, the council agreed it was an important step towards improving road safety in the meantime.
The Australian Trucking Association has launched its InRoads Workforce program at its annual Trucking Australia 2025 conference.
Designed as a go-to resource for those exploring careers in the trucking industry, the program aims to address the growing labour shortfall—more than 26,000 truck driver roles remain unfilled each year.
The program is backed by the ATA’s long-standing Foundation Sponsors— Volvo Trucks, bp, and NTI—who have consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to workforce inclusion and
safety. In partnership with campaign supporters Teletrac Navman and the NHVR, the initiative aims to reach over 60,000 operators through state associations, ATA stakeholder networks and targeted media channels.
Unveiling the program, ATA Director of Marketing and Corporate Partnerships Bianca D’Rosario said, “With the growth of online commerce and direct-to-door deliveries, the need to expand our talent pool has never been greater.”
In response to trade-wide shortages, the program targets high school students
Entries are now open for the 2025 Australasian Fleet Champions Awards which are run through Brake’s Global Fleet Champions initiative, recognising organisations and individuals committed to improving fleet safety across Australasia.
Brake, which organises the awards through its Global Fleet Champions initiative, is inviting entries from fleet operators and suppliers working to reduce crashes and pollution from vehicles being driven on work purposes. The deadline for entries is Friday 18 July 2025 and the winners will be announced at an awards ceremony and dinner on Thursday 30 October in Auckland.
The Awards recognise the achievements of organisations and individuals working in the field of road risk management. They are free to enter and are being offered in the following categories:
• Company Driver Safety
• Fleet Safety Product
• Road Safety in the Community
• Safe Vehicles
• Sustainable Journeys
• Fleet Driver of the Year
• Road Risk Manager of the Year
• Outstanding Commitment to Road Safety
To download an entry form, visit globalfleetchampions.org/fleet-championsawards/australasia-awards
and career changers, while also supporting key influencers like parents, educators, and industry employers to guide and grow interest in the sector.
The ATA has launched two major resources under this program: a Career Toolkit to help individuals explore trucking career pathways, and an Inclusive Recruitment Toolkit, supported by Teletrac Navman, to help businesses attract and retain a more diverse workforce.
The Career Toolkit provides insights into driver pay, licensing requirements, and career progression. Meanwhile, the Inclusive Recruitment Toolkit offers practical guidance for creating safer, more welcoming workplaces.
The initiative builds on the success of the original InRoads Diversity and Inclusion progam, now active in nearly 70 workplaces.
“Together we can open up the industry to more diverse talent pools and tap into a broader range of skills and experience,” said Teletrac Navman’s Director of Global Marketing Operations Megan Duncan.
These messages were echoed at the ATA’s recent Multicultural Driver Roundtable, where participants highlighted the importance of better training and workplace support.
ATA Board Member Ann Lopez said, “With growing labour shortages, these new resources are vital for attracting and keeping people in our industry.”
To learn more about the InRoads Workforce program visit //new.truck.net.au/inroads-workforce/
On Thursday 1 May, industry leaders from the Western Australian Goldfields gathered to congratulate and welcome the latest graduates of the Western Roads Federation heavy vehicle driver training course.
Western Roads Federation CEO Cam Dumesny said the 60 drivers who had graduated from the six courses run in the Goldfields had shown exceptional dedication and skill.
“We are excited to see our new graduates embark on their journeys in the transport industry. Their hard work and commitment are truly commendable, and we are confident they will make significant contributions to our industry,” Cam said.
He said that 11 of the graduates from the six Goldfields courses were Indigenous drivers supported by the Waalitj Foundation.
At the event, previous graduate Kelli-Leigh Edmonds shared her love of the industry and the opportunities it had given her.
She graduated from the course in June 2024, has been employed and is now taking up new role in Karratha where she will be further trained and mentored into bulk haulage.
The ATA has called on the incoming government to pay a completion bonus of $1,500 to drivers who graduate from a short driver training course like this one.
The driver’s first employer should receive a $1,500 hiring bonus.
The heavy vehicle driver training course was supported by the WA State Government in 2021 with a $6.1 million commitment to what it calls the Heavy Vehicle Driving Operations Skill Set pilot.
This Australian first will train up to 1,000 workers for the transport sector with Central
Regional TAFE partnering on the initiative.
The Transport portfolio at that time said they would provide targeted funding for delivery of industry mentoring for program graduates, to be co-ordinated by Western Roads Federation, which will be crucial for smaller transport companies without the capacity to provide on-the-job training.
She graduated from the course in June 2024, has been employed and is now taking up new role in Karratha where she will be further trained and mentored into bulk haulage
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In an Australian first, ANCAP has examined some of Australia’s top-selling light trucks as part of a new initiative to boost safety standards and assist business operators and private consumers make informed purchasing decisions.
While light trucks are increasing in popularity, safety experts believe advancements in safety features and technologies in the light truck segment haven’t kept pace with other vehicle classes. Light trucks, along with other goods vehicles such as commercial vans and medium and heavy trucks, remain
over-represented in fatal and serious injury crashes in Australia. These vehicles make up less than 3% of all registered vehicles on Australia’s roads, yet they are involved in approximately 15% of all fatal crashes.
To combat this, ANCAP’s Light Truck ADAS Safety Comparison seeks to bring greater accountability and safety standards to the light truck segment through a new assessment regime.
The comparison has been undertaken to identify a baseline level of safety performance.
Light trucks represent an important
Australian connected mobility innovator, Directed Technologies, has collaborated with KPMG Australia to launch a fully automated, Fuel Tax Credit (FTC) technology solution for heavy vehicle fleets – a move set to deliver significant operational savings across the road transport, construction, mining and agriculture sectors. Unlike traditional claim methods, the Directed-KPMG solution uses OEM-embedded telematics and advanced data modelling to automate the FTC claim process in near real-time, providing a secure and seamless way for customers to claim their full fuel tax credit entitlement. The solution also benefits from an ATO Product Ruling. The Fuel Tax Credit integration
is now being offered to Directed Technologies’ OEM partners such as PACCAR (DAF, Kenworth), Hino, Mercedes-Benz, and Fuso, making it accessible to fleet vehicle customers who stand to benefit with significant compliance and efficiency gains.
The industry-first product comes at a critical moment after renewed debate around the future of FTCs during the federal election campaign. A united position between industry associations was announced to safeguard the FTC system in response to proposed excise cuts.
For a typical fleet of 100 vehicles, the combined approach can result in increased FTC claims of over $50,000 per annum.
segment of the vehicle market, responsible for the ‘last mile’ delivery to Aussie homes and as the transport vehicle of choice for many small to medium businesses nationwide. Compared to other vehicle segments, light trucks offer carrying capacity at a relatively affordable price point, with the ability to be driven on a C Class (car) driver licence. These factors and the growing scale of online shopping and delivery demand has led to an increased presence on the roads, with sales increasing by an average of 6.6% per year since 2012.
ANCAP Chief Executive Officer, Carla Hoorweg said this is a new chapter for the segment and the first-time light trucks have come under independent examination.
“When it comes to road safety, the human cost of doing nothing is too great to ignore. We call on the entire industry to embrace this as an opportunity to prioritise improving the safety features in their vehicles and recognise the positive role they can play in making our roads safer for all Australians.
These vehicles make up less than 3% of all registered vehicles on Australia’s roads, yet they are involved in approximately 15% of all fatal crashes
Australia’s three top-selling light trucks, the Isuzu N-Series, Fuso Canter and Hino 300 Series and, together with the highest-selling battery-electric (EV) light truck, the Foton T5, were selected for examination in this inaugural comparison.
The model ranges of these four trucks account for 74% of all new Light Duty trucks sold (10,788 vehicles) in 2024.
The findings from this comparison have been used to determine baseline performance benchmarks with performance gradings to be introduced from 2026.
To read the Light Truck ADAS Safety Comparison report visit www.ancap.com. au/light-trucks
Main Roads WA Heavy Vehicle Services (HVS) would like to advise you that we have recently published all relevant Policies, Processes and Guidelines on the News and Information page on our website at www.mainroads.wa.gov.au/ heavy-vehicles/news-industry
✓ Permit Policies and Guidelines
✓ RAV Access Policies and Guidelines
✓ Traffic Escort Policies and Guidelines
✓ WA Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Policies and Guidelines
✓ WA Heavy Vehicle Certified Auditors
Policies and Guidelines
✓ WA Heavy Vehicle Licenced Pilots Policies and Guidelines
✓ HVS Compliance - Measurement Adjustments for the Enforcement of Mass Requirements
Having this information located on one page on our website makes it readily available to our customers.
Industry is encouraged to take the time to become familiar with these documents. They provide critical information and underpin our business practices and work processes.
Super-fast charging design is set to change the market place with China the undisputed front runner in battery technology development.
Chinese companies are setting the pace in performance, cost-effectiveness and production capacity with improvements to lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries and breakthroughs in sodium-ion and nextgeneration Li-ion cell materials and designs.
China’s leading electric vehicle (EV) maker BYD recently unveiled their super-fast charging battery design, while CATL followed closely with their secondgeneration Shenxing battery. This lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery can charge from 5% to 80% in 15 minutes, with the
addition of 520 km of range from a fiveminute charge being advertised.
Despite its technological edge, some media reports say BYD’s new system still needs to deal with a few hurdles.
Reuters said that widespread fastcharging adoption could strain power grids, requiring significant infrastructure upgrades. BYD plans to address this by integrating energy storage units with its fast chargers, though this may increase costs.
Frequent fast charging can accelerate battery wear, potentially reducing overall lifespan – an issue still being studied with high-voltage systems, according to The Guardian.
CATL attributes their leap in
performance to a combination of improvements in LFP cathode material design, electrode structures, and optimised electrolyte formulations. These developments highlight how the ongoing optimisation of existing Li-ion material, cell, and battery designs can still yield important improvements to battery performance, particularly in charging speed, safety, and efficiency.
Beyond Li-ion, China also leads the commercial push for sodium-ion (Na-ion) batteries. Na-ion batteries are gaining attention due to their potential for better rate performance and lowtemperature operation, two areas where traditional LFP batteries can fall short.
Over to you
Spend enough time behind the wheel in Western Australia and you’ll get used to the long hauls, remote stretches of road, and unpredictable conditions. But what you never get used to is coming across a road accident—and in WA’s vast outback, it’s more common than you might think. For many truck drivers, being first on the scene of a serious crash isn’t just a possibility—it’s a reality.
With emergency services often hours away, truck drivers become first responders by default. Whether it’s stabilising an injured motorist, making the area safe, or calling for help without mobile coverage, drivers in these situations are doing far more than just delivering freight.
It’s not something I’ll ever forget—the feeling of helplessness as I became the first person on the scene of an accident and surveyed the carnage. A vehicle was on its roof. It had carried three young men, likely driving on a long, lonely highway when I surmise the driver, fatigued, nodded off. He was still in his seat, seatbelt fastened, but sadly, he was no longer alive. The other two men had been thrown from the car. One was alive but injured. The third had also died.
I’d done first aid training and previously volunteered as an ambulance driver in a small country town, but nothing prepares you for a scene like that.
What a relief it was when the next vehicle arrived, and out stepped a trained
Around 70% of Australian truck drivers report being first on the scene at road accidents during their career
nurse who quickly began attending to the injured man. We had no phone service, but fortunately, someone else arrived with a reliable radio and was able to call for help.
An hour later, an old ambulance from a nearby roadhouse arrived and took the injured man on another hour-long drive to the closest medical centre. I stayed at the scene for several hours, directing the sparse traffic until the police arrived.
All the while, I was left with the sombre reality that two young lives had just been lost on that desolate stretch of highway.
What I witnessed happened years ago, but it was just one of many such accidents I encountered in my truck driving career.
That experience made it clear - some basic first aid knowledge is absolutely essential for all truck drivers.
Around 70% of Australian truck drivers report being first on the scene at road accidents during their career. In WA, where distances are vast and emergency services limited, that number could be even higher.
That’s why there’s growing support in the industry to make first aid training standard for all drivers — not just a tick-
quickly. Phone signals drop out and the weather can shift from searing heat to flash floods in a matter of hours. In this environment, being able to perform CPR or treat a major wound isn’t just helpful— it’s vital.
It’s also about personal safety. Helping others is important, but so is making sure you don’t put yourself at risk. Knowing how to manage shock, use a first aid kit properly, or stay safe on a hot roadside are skills every driver can benefit from.
Thankfully, change is underway.
Training bodies, industry associations, and employers are beginning to recognise the value of providing advanced first aid training to drivers —and drivers themselves are calling for it. If we’re expected to handle emergencies, we should be equipped to do it right. We’re more than just drivers — we’re lifelines out there.
Truck drivers are the backbone of Western Australia’s economy, but their role doesn’t end with the delivery docket. On remote highways, they’re often the first—and sometimes only—help available in a crisis. With proper first aid training, we’re not just protecting others—we’re protecting ourselves.
It’s time to recognise this part of the job for what it is: a critical, life-saving responsibility. And with the right tools and training, we’ll be ready to step up when it counts most.
Keep it safe, Ray Pratt.
did the Public Service lose the service part?
The Transport Industry runs on ‘last minute’ and short schedules. Everything has to be done ‘now’. Everyone is waiting on parts/equipment/materials. We all get those calls all day, “I need this done urgently, I need a pickup by lunchtime, I need a delivery by tomorrow” and for the most part with some shuffling (for good customers) we can make that happen. That is if we are just relying on ourselves to do the job.
Unfortunately, sometimes things don’t go to plan. Customers have a breakdown; a part has to be fabricated in a hurry and we are called on to get these things delivered in a hurry in the name of productivity.
But what happens when that part, that fabricated item, that machine is oversize? Well, that is when you are under the total control of Main Roads Department. You need to get an Oversize Permit.
Now granted, many operators have an annual Oversize Permit for their vehicles but in order to get an ‘annual’ Oversize Permit you have to be accredited (with Main Roads), paying an accreditation fee (to Main Roads), have your accreditation audited every year (by operators nominated by Main Roads)which includes a stack of extra paperwork and the payment of a stack of money.
So, if you are a smaller operator/Owner Driver with a vehicle that doesn’t do a large
number of oversizes moves a year then there is a system whereby you can obtain up to four single Oversize Trip Permits per year for the cost of $25 per permit. Great idea. However, in my experience Main Roads have a processing system out of the dark ages.
You fill in the paperwork, route/size/ clearances etc, etc send it off and pray to the gods. If you are lucky some 24 hours later you receive an email saying you are now in the processing queue – if you have missed a road on your route, a measurement, something that you have missed ticking or crossing you receive an email back saying rejected - items missed. Not an email saying can you clarify and fix
this but instead its go straight to jail do not pass go do not collect $200. You are out and you have to go right back to the start, the end of the queue again.
My experience is there is a total lack of customer service on this system. This is a Government Department that is supposed to be a ‘public service’ – but where is the service part?
There are no asking questions, and you receive no answers to be able to try and work out timing so you can let your own client know.
You may try asking, “Can you give me a ball park timing on the permit? The answer is no.
“Can you tell me if it is likely to be today?” The answer is no.
“Will it be tomorrow?”. “Can you tell me how many people are in front of me in the queue?” No, they will not tell you anything. They will tell you that you are supposed to apply a week in advance for your Permit – but none of us (even our customers) know what emergencies will arise that call for parts or such to be delivered in a hurry.
Back in the old days you could go down to South Guildford or Welshpool, fill in the form at the counter and for a simple Permit for something not too oversized. 15 to 20 minutes later you would be out the door with Permit in hand. Obviously much larger/wider/higher/heavier loads would take longer.
Now I don’t know how many people work in the Permits section nowadays, but with technology being what it is I would think that a Permit should take less than 15 minutes to produce. Enter an Operators Number, the vehicle rego (which should already have all of the specs entered against it – why would they have to re-enter it every time?), put in the route – usually well less than 20 roads – and press enter. The computer could quickly tell if any roads were missing or if there are any issues on that route.
What Main Roads are saying is that an operator who owns Truck A (who has an Annual Oversize Permit) can take a load to 5.5m wide and 5.5m high – say from Rockingham to Port Hedland without notifying Main Roads. But an operator who owns an identical Truck B (who wants a Single Trip Permit) has to wait for up to a week for Main Roads to certify a smaller load on ‘exactly’ the same route. Why is Truck B going to encounter a problem that Truck A won’t? It just does not make sense to me.
And here’s another point – Main
My experience is there is a total lack of customer service on this system. This is a Government Department that is supposed to be a ‘public service’ – but where is the service part?
Roads say that they have this huge queue of Permits waiting to be processed. So why don’t they have one staff member who just processes the ‘easy and quick Permits’ – ones that are well within range. For example, a machine that is 4.4m high (loaded) and 2.6m wide going Kewdale to Port Hedland. You have trucks going up and down that road all day, every day at 4.6m high and a lot wider so it’s not going to be an issue. So, in the name of productivity, just pull those ones out, process them in five minutes and get rid of them. Helps the customer, helps the Industry and shows some common sense. When there are none left then go back and help on the more difficult permits.
Main Roads should be working ‘with’ the Industry not ‘against’ it.
They seem to want to make it as difficult as possible for an operator to do the right thing. Why would it hurt to tell you how many requests are in front of you? Why would it hurt to say sorry but it is highly unlikely we are able to get to you today as there are 15 in front of you – which would then give you the opportunity to stand that truck or driver down and do something else. It is common sense, it is courtesy, it is customer service - but as they are a Government Department and a monopoly and sadly, none of that seems to matter.
Ihave had an absolute blast working in the transport Industry. The lifestyle and the people have been really good to me and I'm forever grateful,” says Amber Wright.
Amber started on the farm, licensed at 15 driving tractors and carting sheep. At Truckline she worked on brakes, learned how brake systems worked, serviced, adjusted and changed tyres and she had no idea how handy that would be through her 15-year career driving quads in the Pilbara and the Kimberly.
“By 18 I had my MC license and scored a few runs with DG, machinery and food to Wiluna mines. The experience of loading and unloading machines was a bit of a thrill at the time, but when a Port Hedland opportunity came up to drive a double side tipper, I jumped and was off to build the haul road to Abydos. Living in tents and containers, I was hooked. No TV, no phones, just good people, a fire and amazing sunsets. I learnt so much from amazing people, about their trucks and life stories. The OHS lady answered all my silly questions with such patience and kindness for some young idiot full of youthful exuberance. I was sad to see the road finish, but it was cool to see the first quad roll down the road,” Amber recalls.
“From there it’s been all go. Living at camp running the watercart at Phil’s Creek,
rolling up and down in a semi on mining wages. A cream gig. Roy Hill Road was dirt and the holes were knee deep. You went in with three axles and came out with two, she was rough. At Wheelie Wolly creek the quads got to become boats and every day was an adventure.
“I met life-long friends and mentors along with horrific opposition to a girl driving a truck.
“As more women who were really top operators came on board, the sentiment started to change. As a female truckie you have to let the comments roll off and your kindness and skill show people who you are. It took everything we had not to punch grubs out…but we lent on the people who supported us, and the industry started to change.
“Now, women driving a quad isn’t anything unusual, they are everywhere, kicking goals.
Amber got a taste of driver training and loved it.
“I got my Cert 4 in Training and Assessment and qualified to be an MC Trainer and Assessor for the Department of Transport and got back on the road in the Kimberley.
“I spent awhile dragging fuel all over the place, including Telfer. Ouch, she was rough, but such a cool run, it will test every driving skill you think you have. Two to three tyres every day, flash flooding, chaining up axles,
self-loading, I even hit a camel.
“There I met the amazing Nat; she told me about WiTA and the awesome work they do helping women into the industry with their Foot in the Door program. I knew I needed to be in on this.
“In 2023 I had my beautiful little girl Hayley with my husband Matt who encouraged me to become a WiTA board member last year and start my own training business because no FIFO as the baby doesn’t like it in my carry-on bag.
“I was disheartened with the standard of training being delivered by big companies. Tick and flick, get them in and out, no quality control over content or the trainers’ inexperience. Participants with ADHD and Dyslexia struggled to grasp concepts with just a blur of words.
“So, I put my money where my mouth is and started delivering content that has been useful to me and my colleagues on the road with HR- MC Training and VOC's, Dangerous Goods licensing, load restraint and soon free New to Industry group training to get road ready.
I love all the positive things the inspirational women at WiTA are doing. I get to support some of the Foot in the Door ladies and am looking forward to seeing them all again at the Toots Awards in Darwin on July 5th.
On Saturday July 5th, Australia’s toughest women will be trading steel caps for stilettos as they roll into Darwin for the WiTA bp 2025 Awards Dinner – a bold celebration of the female drivers steering change in one of the country’s most male-dominated industries.
Timed to coincide with National Female Truckies Day, the red-carpet event at the Darwin Convention Centre will honour the grit, determination and leadership of women behind the wheel of Australia’s heaviest vehicles.
WiTA Founder and CEO Lyndal Denny says the awards aren’t just about recognition – they’re about future proofing the trucking industry. “People don’t expect to see a woman driving a 100-tonne rig through the outback, but that’s exactly what’s happening. These women are pioneers. They’re skilled, resilient, and redefining
what a truckie looks like in 2025.”
These are women who drive the biggest rigs on the longest roads, many of them are career-changers - former nurses, teachers and forces, they are single mums, defence wives, survivors and women who have fought for a second chance, overcoming massive barriers to take the wheel, along with young women starting out to follow their dreams. They are all united by a love of the road and a commitment to breaking barriers.
The event starts with a Partner Expo from 5:00 PM to 6.30pm and is followed by the Awards Dinner. it will be an evening of celebration, inspiration, and recognition.
With the support of bp as the major sponsor, this event will shine a spotlight on the achievements of Australia’s female truck drivers and supporters of gender equality in trucking. The night will also serve to reinforce WiTA’s commitment to promoting
truck driving as a rewarding career for women, offering vital funding for training via the NHVR, mentorship opportunities, and advocating for female drivers at both industry and government levels.
WiTA’s mission has never been more critical. As Australia faces a growing shortage of skilled truck drivers, the organisation continues to break barriers and highlight the untapped potential of female drivers in the industry. The Awards Dinner will showcase inspiring success stories, honour outstanding contributions, and encourage more women to consider a career in trucking.
• Recognition of trailblazers and emerging talents within the trucking industry.
• Keynote addresses from industry leaders and inspirational women.
• Networking opportunities for drivers, industry professionals and supporters
“This Awards Dinner is not just about recognition; it’s about galvanising our community and showcasing the incredible impact women are making in trucking. With the sponsors’ invaluable support, we’re driving change and inspiring the next generation of female drivers,” says Lyndal.
For tickets for the Awards Dinner visit www.wita.com.au
For Accommodation visit www.tourismtopend.com.au/wita-bp
For more information or sponsorship and support opportunities email Imelda.bergin@wita.com.au
By LUKE OLSEN, Managing Director APAC at Microlise
Meeting compliance requirements is a constant battle for transport operators. From managing driver fatigue to ensuring vehicles are roadworthy, strict regulations must be followed at all times, or else operators run the risk of large fines and other penalties.
In March this year, a WA freight haulage company and its sole director were fined a total of $400,000 after a worker suffered serious injuries from operating a vehicle without the necessary training or authorisation. In 2024, another WA transport service company was fined a total of $89,000 after being convicted on 24 separate charges under the State’s workplace fatigue management laws.
Maintaining compliance is a neverending task, but the upside is, fleet safety technology is streamlining the process while making it safer, more efficient, and less of a burden. By automating tasks, minimising risks, and boosting safety, technology is enabling transport businesses to stay compliant while operating more effectively.
Below are some of the key ways technology is supporting compliance efforts while also enhancing safety and operational efficiency.
Preventing and mitigating driver fatigue
Driver fatigue is one of the top causes of
road incidents in Australia, and regulators are cracking down. It contributes to about 20 to 30 per cent of all car crashes in Australia, according to the Australian Automobile Association, and it’s not just the driver’s responsibility.
Under Chain of Responsibility (CoR) laws, employers, schedulers, and even customers can be fined if their decisions contribute to fatigue breaches.
Technology can help by:
• Automatically logging driver hours and rest breaks
• Providing audit-ready data to prove reasonable steps were taken
Case in point: A NSW transport company was fined $180,000 under the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) for failing to manage fatigue and speed compliance. The Managing Director and scheduler were each fined $15,000. The takeaway from this example is: Fatigue is a whole-of-business issue, and smart tools help you manage risk, improve safety, and meet your CoR obligations.
Still relying on paper logbooks in 2025? Manual tracking is time-consuming, errorprone, and increasingly risky.
That’s why the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has approved Electronic Work Diaries (EWDs) as a modern, compliant alternative.
The benefits of EWDs:
• Accurate tracking of driver hours and rest breaks
• Reduced paperwork and admin
• Easier audits and faster compliance checks
• Improved visibility across the fleet
Overall, digital work diaries help fleets stay on top of fatigue laws, reduce manual processes, and prepare for future regulation changes.
You can’t protect what you can’t see Visibility is key to compliance, and camera systems offer more than just footage. They’re a vital tool for safety, accountability, and risk reduction.
Why fleets rely on camera technology:
• Provides video evidence for incident investigations and insurance claims
• Monitors driver behaviour such as distraction and speeding
• Helps demonstrate CoR compliance and proactive risk management
• Often reduces insurance premiums by lowering risk
Camera technology doesn’t just protect your people, it helps you prove compliance and reduce liability. In a real-life compliance investigation, regulators may request footage to verify driver behaviour or safety practices. Footage can also protect both drivers and businesses in legal disputes or false claims.
Prevention is always better than a cure Keeping your vehicles roadworthy isn’t just good practice. It’s the law, and the NHVR conducts inspections and enforces strict maintenance standards.
Smart tools can support compliance by enabling digital pre-start safety checks. Then, a daily walkaround check can detect any minor mechanical or practical issues before they become a more serious problem.
Scheduling early maintenance saves money in the long run, minimises the danger of breakdowns and maximises your fleet uptime.
It’s a small price to pay to help you stay compliant, protect drivers, and avoid unnecessary downtime or fines. And the alternative is potentially heavy penalties, suspension of operations for unsafe vehicles, as well as increased costs from breakdowns, voided insurance, and legal action.
Considering the above risks, it’s time for all fleet operators to ask themselves: Am I compliant? If the answer is no, then technology can help you get back on track.
This is ‘The Outback’
By Cliff Graham
he other day, I was delivering cattle and the owner asked, “What is going to happen when all you old fella’s retire?”
This is particularly worrying, when a recent report stated that the average age of truck drivers is over 55.
I will reiterate I’m not the best driver nor do the most kms. However, I have always been passionate about the heavy vehicle transport industry.
I started driving road trains at 18 and felt like the ‘king of the road’ driving trucks that weren’t even 250 hp but over the years I have had my fair share of run ins with the authorities and I question some of their reasoning when it comes to accountability and road safety.
When I lived in Queensland, I was pulled up by a police car, flashing lights and all. This did not surprise me; they love handing out logbook fines for the smallest mistakes. However, the officer stated my rear trailer was unregistered and that really got my attention.
“There’s got to be something wrong,” I told him because I had completed a machinery inspection over the pits. The problem was the office staff didn’t post the certificate of inspection to me for three months pointing out a clear lack of connection between the Inspection
section of the QLD Department of Transport and Main Roads and the Department issuing the registration.
So, three months after my inspection they cancelled the registration of my trailer because it didn’t have a current Inspection Certificate.
Was anyone in Main Roads held accountable? No.
To add insult to injury, I receive a letter from QLD Main Roads highlighting the responsibility of owners to ensure all vehicles are licensed.
I was taught growing up if you make a mistake, you own it and learn from it.
Sadly, this does not seem apply to Government regulators.
Since I moved to Western Australia, I have intercepted by Transport Inspectors.
I was towing two B doubles in a triple road train configuration with a dolly behind. I genuinely thought I was in the right because I had the same units as a quad road train and that I had the ‘safer’ configuration for trailers loaded with cattle.
I was told by the officers that I can’t have that configuration because they did not have any pictures of configurations with dollies at the rear. So, in essence, I could have swapped trailers around and had the extra dolly under an A trailer being the last unit in the configuration. That would make
it legal but not safer.
This is where law makers need to talk with the industry to find the safest alternative for road safety.
Recently, I had to go to a station and the Shire gravel road to it was atrocious. The roughness of the road meant extra hours added to the trip and trauma added to the equipment. We all know many tyres suffer rock damage on these goat tracks and are wrecked straight away and some tyres blowout later on down the highway amongst other road users.
It’s the unseen damage to heavy vehicles that should be the greatest concern to road safety. While regulators are going over and under heavy vehicles ensuring they comply to a set standard who’s holding the government road maintenance accountable?
Getting back to the problem with the shortage of professional drivers… Maybe the experienced are leaving because of the hypocrisy from Government Departments and their lack of accountability when it comes to productivity and road safety.
So many young drivers are keen but lack experience and importing drivers may fill the void but the roads are getting filled with drivers who are compliant to regulations but lack the experience needed for safe work practices with multiple trailer configurations.
The mobile phone in your hand may feel secure, but could someone be secretly listening in on your conversations?
According to cybersecurity expert Vidit Sehgal, founder of Australian mobile tech firm V4 IT, the answer is yes and many people don't even realise it’s possible.
Sehgal warned that phone listening is a growing problem and people need to be more aware of the risks and implications. He outlined some of the ways people can listen in to calls.
Yes, your mobile can be hacked and used to listen to your calls
“Advanced spyware can turn your phone into a remote listening device without you knowing,” Sehgal said.
"These tools are often installed through phishing links, malicious apps or even through fake mobile towers that intercept your calls.”
He added that in high-risk environments such as business, legal or political settings, devices can be physically compromised as well.
“If someone gains physical access to your phone, they can install software that listens to your calls or activates your microphone,” Sehgal said.
Encrypted apps offer better protection
“Most people are still using standard mobile calls, which aren't end-to-end encrypted,” Sehgal said.
“Apps like Signal, WhatsApp and Telegram offer encrypted calling, meaning even if someone intercepts the data, they can't understand it. For private or sensitive conversations, encrypted apps are the smarter choice.”
Keep your phone software updated “Hackers exploit known vulnerabilities and phone manufacturers release updates to patch these,” Sehgal said.
“If you delay installing updates, you leave your device exposed to threats that could have easily been blocked.”
Be selective with app permissions and downloads
“People often download apps without thinking twice about what they’re granting access to,” Sehgal said.
“Be careful about microphone permissions in particular. Some apps don’t need it to function, but they’ll ask for it anyway and that’s a red flag.”
Avoid public Wi-Fi or use a VPN
“Public Wi-Fi is one of the easiest ways for hackers to intercept your data, including voice calls,” Sehgal said.
“If you have to use it, always activate a trusted VPN to create a secure, encrypted tunnel for your activity.”
Turn off your phone or use airplane mode during sensitive conversations
“When the stakes are high, during legal discussions, corporate deals or confidential meetings, the best protection is to switch your phone off or put it in airplane mode,” Sehgal said.
“That simple action disconnects the device from all signals, which makes remote interception impossible.”
Know the warning signs of a compromised device
“If your phone is acting strange, draining battery fast, heating up or showing unknown apps, don’t ignore it,” Sehgal said.
“These can be signs of spyware running in the background. It’s important to investigate and, if necessary, do a full security audit.”
Protecting your phone is protecting your identity
“People think mobile surveillance is something out of a spy movie, but the truth is, we’re all carrying around devices that hold our entire lives,” Sehgal said.
“Your photos, messages, banking apps, private conversations - it's all there. You need to protect it like you would your most valuable asset.”
Critical changes to the Fremantle road network in preparation for the closure of the Fremantle Traffic Bridge have been announced.
The changes to the road network will not take effect until the bridge closure commences at the start of 2026 but works on the modifications will get underway in the coming month.
The planned road modifications follow months of detailed analysis by Main Roads on how best to manage the road network and reduce major congestion during the closure.
Detailed investigations have involved
surveying more than 100 intersections, coupled with extensive consultation with State and local government agencies, Fremantle Ports, emergency services, key interest groups and other stakeholders.
To support the physical network changes, Main Roads will also be installing Intelligent Transport Systems and additional CCTV cameras at more than 14 intersections, while incident management and towing teams will be permanently stationed near Stirling Bridge during peak hour throughout the closure.
LRTAWA by Jan Cooper, CEO Livestock and Rural Transport Association of Western Australia (Inc)
As part of the Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association (ALRTA) 40th Anniversary celebrations in April this year, the Bruce McIver Award was presented posthumously to honour Waroona’s Jack Mitchell.
Jack holds a special place in the evolution of rural transport representation, both in Western Australia and nationally. He was the founding Vice President of the ALTA (now ALRTA) in 1985 and was a huge advocate nationally for the livestock and rural transport industry in the association’s formative years. He was also President of the Livestock Transporters Association of Western Australia during a period of consolidation.
Jack Mitchell’s initiative, vision and energy were widely admired around Australia and led to many of the early decisions by livestock transporters to involve themselves in both their state and national association activities.
Who better to lead the way towards reform of rural road transport than a man whose transport credentials were forged at a young age. His parents Eric ‘Mick’ and Margaret Mitchell operated their family transport business from a homebase in Waroona. In the early 1940’s the business carried general freight including grain, fertiliser, fodder, cattle, fresh produce and timber. His father’s early passing saw Jack take over the business in 1948. In a cruel twist, Jack also passed in 1989 at the tender
age of 57 which saw his son John take the helm of Mitchell’s Livestock Transport.
Jack’s premature death was a great blow to both the Western Australian and National Livestock Transporting Associations. His impact on the industry is still being felt today. Some of the reforms he championed included the introduction of 4.6 m high livestock crates where previously they were 4.3m high; livestock concessional vehicle licences and the introduction of a livestock consignment note which allowed transporters to collect livestock without waybill.
His memory and legacy are remembered in the Jack Mitchell award - a coveted award made by the LRTAWA to an outstanding contributor to the livestock
His memory and legacy are remembered in the Jack Mitchell award - a coveted award made by the LRTAWA to an outstanding contributor to the livestock transporting industry each year
transporting industry each year. It has become an outstanding accolade for anyone to receive.
The Bruce McIver Award is named after another prominent figure in the industry, known for his leadership. He has been recognized for his work in transport industry organisations including taking a leading role in establishing the precursor to the Australian Trucking Association. As the founding president of the Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association (ALRTA) from 1985 to 1991 he worked alongside Jack to advocate for groundbreaking safety and productivity initiatives. He later went into politics and in 2019 Bruce was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia for his contribution to politics and the transport industry.
Rural transport has a credible reputation for strong advocacy due in no small part to the foundations built in the beginning under Bruce and Jack’s guidance. Unfortunately, Bruce was unable to attend the ALRTA celebrations and present the award which was accepted on Jack’s behalf by his son John. The award was presented by another transport stalwart, Ross Fraser OAM. Ross quipped that during one of the early discussions about the structure of the ALTA and how the states would be represented, Jack Mitchell lamented ‘you blokes in the East want to run the show’. Some would argue things haven’t changed.
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By LARA JENSEN
This an abridged version of a letter sent to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese following the federal election.
Dear Mr Albanese,
My name is Lara Jensen, I am a pastoralist, small business owner and the mother of young children, three of whom I educate through School of the Air remotely from our cattle station northeast of Mount Magnet. I am also a passionate rail safety advocate because of a completely preventable tragic triple fatality that claimed the life of my youngest brother and his two friends at an unlit crossing near Jennacubbine in the WA Wheatbelt on July 8, 2000.
In your second term victory speech on the night of the federal election you promised to leave 'no one behind'.
I represent a minority group of rural rail safety advocates who have not only been left behind, but our pleas for corrective safety lighting on trains and rolling stock in addition to bolstered safety measures at notorious regional level crossings have been ignored by successive governments for decades.
I did not choose to be a rail safety advocate, rather through unthinkable tragedy I found myself part of a fraternity that nobody wants to belong to – a group of families who have all lost loved ones to completely preventable rail crashes and who are fighting for rail safety reform in this country. I advocate in my own time, at my own expense and with none of the generous resources available to ASX listed rail companies.
In a rare win for the families of rail crash victims this year, our exhaustive advocacy efforts resulted in bipartisan support from both the Nationals WA and the WA Liberals
who committed to mandate train lighting as part of their election policy platforms prior to the West Australian state election.
Outgoing Opposition Leader Peter Dutton stated in a letter to me prior to the federal election that, 'I commend the WA Liberal Party’s leadership and recognize the urgent need for mandatory train and rolling stock lighting standards.'
In an email to me dated 24th June 2024, federal Transport Minister Catherine King endorsed a minimum, voluntary developed by the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSRS) Code of Practice on Level Crossing and Train Visibility that is underpinned by minimum, voluntary standards such as AS7531, the Australian Standard that governs train and rolling stock visibility.
Our families are still no closer to gleaning any understanding as to what compliance with the Code will look like. Will compliance be left entirely to the Rolling Stock Operators (RSOs)? Are the Rolling Stock Operators permitted to develop compliance plans that don’t require any action whatsoever?
By way of background, our families specifically requested mandatory legislation for train and rolling stock visibility as part of ONRSR's stakeholder consultation process in the development of this Code of Practice because rail operators have resisted making the most basic visibility improvements to their locomotives and rolling stock, despite coronial recommendations and the findings of numerous committees and reviews recommending improved train lighting for more than two decades.
Tragically as history has proven, our families have seen first-hand that compliance with inadequate safety standards does not make an operation safe.
In high-risk industries like road transport, lighting requirements—including side, outline
and clearance lighting, rotating beacons, and reflectors—have been universally mandated for decades. Yet weak, outdated rail industry standards allow bicycles to meet a higher lighting standard than the largest vehicles on land (trains and their rolling stock). This anomaly is illogical, unsafe, and unacceptable in 2025.
With public support and overwhelming evidence on our side, I urge you to champion mandatory train lighting as federal Labor Party policy. Such a commitment would demonstrate your dedication to the safety and wellbeing of regional communities across Australia.
Mr. Albanese, I urge you to take real action—based on coronial recommendations, common sense, and sound research—to legislate the mandatory train illumination standards that Australia so urgently needs. Our families will not rest until this issue is addressed.
I look forward to your response.
Yours sincerely,
LARA JENSEN (Spokesperson) Improve Train Lighting and Level Crossing Safety Group
he HCVC made the annual trip to Lights on the Hill hosted by Tracmach. This year they featured 100 years of Caterpillar. The company, formed in 1925 when Holt Manufacturing Company and C. L. Best Tractor Company merged.
The event was held earlier this year in late March. Talbots farm where all the action takes place had received rain a couple of weeks beforehand and that kept the dust to a minimum.
This is an event when you get to see the old machinery working pushing the dirt
up, turning it over and grading it flat again. These machine’s built roads, sunk dams and cleared timber in the early days. The old crawlers, tractors, graders and other earth moving machinery were put through their paces by some very enthusiastic operators, young and old.
Some of the old gear requires a lot of manual hands on to get the job done.
There was a good line up of old cars, trucks and stationary engines. Also on display were old tools and a blacksmith working. A very enjoyable day out and thanks to Tracmach for inviting the HCVC along.
The WARTA Golf Day was staged at Joondalup Resort in early October, supporting the Diabetics Research Foundation. There were more than 90 players, sponsors were offered holes and BP sponsored a hole in one to the tune of a $25,000 BP Fuel Card.
There were almost 17.2 million motor vehicles, including motorcycles, registered in Australia for the 2013 Motor Vehicle Census (MVC). This is 2.6 percent higher than the number of registrations for 2012 and an increase of 12.3 percent since 2008. The average annual growth rate during the five years to 2013 was 2.4 percent.
Across Australia, passenger vehicles accounted for 75.7 percent of all vehicles registered for the 2013 MVC. Western Australia and the Northern Territory were the only State/Territory to experience an increase in the proportion of passenger vehicles in their fleet over this time.
Light commercial vehicles accounted for 15.8 percent of all vehicles registered in Australia for the 2013 MVC.
Rigid trucks accounted for 2.7 percent of the total number of vehicles registered both in 2013 and 2008. Registrations of rigid trucks with a gross vehicle mass (GVM) greater than 20 tonnes have increased by 18.3 percent since 2008, while registrations of rigid trucks with a GVM of 20 tonnes or less have increased by 9.6 percent during the same period.
For the 2013 MVC, articulated trucks only accounted for 0.5 percent of the total number of registered vehicles in Australia. From 2008 to 2013, the number of registered articulated trucks with a GCM up to 40 tonnes has decreased by 15.2 percent, while the number of articulated trucks with GCM over 60 to 100 tonnes and greater than 100 tonnes has increased by 22.5 percent and 52.8 percent respectively.
There were 750 motor vehicles per 1000
Estimated Resident Population in the 2013 MVC in Australia. This compares with 723 vehicles per 1000 population in 2008, an increase of 27 vehicles per 1000 population over this time.
Tasmania had the greatest number of vehicles per 1000 population of all States and Territories in 2013 with 853, followed by Western Australia with 828 per 1000 population. In 2008, Western Australia had the highest rate with 810 vehicles per 1000 population, followed by Tasmania with 787 per 1000 population.
BusWA staged its Annual General Meeting on October 11 with Darren Mudge, senior policy advisor to Minister for Transport Troy Buswell, in attendance. Chairman Ray Gannaway stated that the ECM was now a reality with a fairer method of reviewing contracts. He said there was more compliance with temporary distance variations; increases on some garaging aspects; unsealed road running; public liability and removal of the banding in the R&M. He said it was a “living document”.
New Federal anti-bullying measures took effect from January 1. They do not just apply to employers and contractors,
By Russell McKinnon
but also to labour hire personnel and persons engaged under other workplace arrangements. The Amendment to the Fair Work Act (2009) will allow workers who believe that they have been bullied to apply to the Fair Work Commission (FWC) for an order to stop the bullying.
The 2014 Motor Vehicle Census showed that 540,592 heavy vehicles were registered in Australia at January 31, 2014.
Deputy Prime Minister & Minister for Infrastructure & Regional Development Warren Truss has reaffirmed the Australian Government funding of $615m to the Swan Valley Bypass project. “The 37 kilometre Swan Valley Bypass project reflects efficiency by introducing an alternative north/south freight route, relieving pressure on Great Northern Highway through the iconic Swan Valley”. WA Minister for Transport Troy Buswell said “building the bypass would involve constructing a new highway from the intersection of the Reid and Tonkin Highways to Muchea. The bypass will include new interchanges to the existing road network as well as upgrades to connecting roads, which will mean a better flow of traffic regardless of whether you are on or off the new bypass,” Mr Buswell said.
The Livestock and Rural Transport Association of Western Australia (Inc) is the only transport association in WA specifically representing rural transporters.
We are a strong voice for rural WA, ensuring that policy decisions support the viability and safety of rural transporters, primary industry and the communities they service.
Members of the Management Committee are hands on business people, most of whom would drive a truck weekly and travel on nearly every road in WA’s 150,000 km road network in the course of a year.
This close proximity between transporting operations and the advisory role means that representatives of the Association are at the coal face and as such are able to provide that all too rare practical hands on advice in committees, consultative forums and meetings.
