ATA calls for independent review of Australia’s Heavy Vehicle National Law

ATA calls for independent review of Australia’s Heavy Vehicle National Law

The ATA (Australian Trucking Association) is calling for a review of the soon-to-be-implemented HVNL (Heavy Vehicle National Law), which applies to trucking operations in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, and the Australian Capital Territory. The purpose of the review, according to Ben Maguire, CEO of the ATA, should be to ensure that drivers aren’t sitting around waiting for approval for extended periods, amongst other issues.

“The review should focus on road access approvals and the prescriptive work and rest hours, including work and rest hour tolerances for electronic work diaries,” says Maguire. “The heavy vehicle permit approval system for road access within the HVNL states is a barrier to productivity and investment, particularly for oversize/overmass operators. It’s estimated 4.5 million days are lost waiting for approvals to move freight. For example, one specialist mining equipment transporter had trucks waiting beside the road in the height of summer awaiting journey approvals, with these delays resulting in massive additional costs.”

ATA wants changes to road access policies

Much of what was added to the HVNL pertains to the chain of responsibility and making sure that everyone involved in the transport process is properly held accountable. It also has a provision about companies ensuring that drivers aren’t signing contracts or accepting requests that would force them to work outside of fatigue requirements or exceed speed limits. What the ATA wants is for transport ministers to bring in an independent transport industry outsider to review the HVNL with a keen eye on permits and general road access.

“Access permits are a problem that needs to be fixed urgently, but the ATA’s understanding is that ministers won’t be asked to approve the terms of reference of the review till November,” says Maguire. “We cannot wait until November while loads are stuck beside roads across Australia. The terms of reference should be prototyped this week, before the meeting, so the review can get started. If the terms of reference need to be changed later, they can be changed later. That’s the heart of the agile approach that so desperately needs to be adopted by government.”