Trucking industry a step closer to enactment of safety laws

Trucking industry a step closer to enactment of safety laws

The Queensland Parliament recently passed one of two amendment bills required to enact new truck safety laws in Australia. The new laws are set to go into effect on the 1st of October and will apply in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, and the Australian Capital Territory under a “co-operative scheme arrangement,” according to the Australian Trucking Industry.

National safety

Along with amendments passed in 2016, the ATA says the new laws would introduce a strong general safety duty for trucking industry customers. The laws would also introduce an extension of the “chain of responsibility concept” covering vehicle maintenance and repairs and introduce due diligence requirements on company directors and executives that “ensure chain parties comply with their primary safety duty.”

The laws would also introduce maximum penalty increases for the “most serious cases” that fall closer in line with other national safety laws. Finally, the new laws would remove “red tape and unnecessary legislative requirements.”

Red tape removal

The ATA has worked to extend truck safety laws since 2012, including working to improve truck safety and “eliminate prescriptive red tape.” Geoff Crouch, ATA chair, dubbed the recent amendment passage an “important win” for the trucking industry. “It has taken us a long time to get here, but the last pieces of the new safety provisions are now in place,” he said. Crouch added that “these new laws mean customers and trucking businesses have to focus on developing and maintaining appropriate safety systems.”

Working with the Australian Logistics Council and with support from the Australian Government and the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator, the ATA has developed a master registered code of practice to help businesses comply with the new laws, manage risks, and improve safety. Crouch said TruckSafe, the ATA’s best-practice accreditation system, will implement the master code of practice to help members with compliance.