Rego rise discussions

The calculations have been done and the National Transport Commission has released the proposed heavy vehicle registration charges, to come in later this year. The NTC annually recalculates the charges using a seven year average for both road expenditure and vehicle numbers.
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Fatigue and Safety - Talking Turkey About Trucking

Dreaming of the grand final

It’s like waking up on the morning after losing a grand final. Your team made it all of the way to the big day and then messed up, going down meekly to the opposition. There’s a blame game to be had, if you want to take it out on somebody, and then there’s just crying in your beer.
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Roadworthy trucks

The whole issue of how roadworthiness in trucks can be maintained is undergoing scrutiny, at the moment. The National Transport Commission (NTC) has released a regulatory impact statement (RIS) to the industry and is calling for submissions in response.
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Ravaglioli Commercial Vehicle Wireless Mobile Column Lifts

NHVAS changes announced

New rules governing the National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme are on their way and effective next month. This week’s announcement by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator sets out changes to the auditing provisions of the NHVAS which will be in force from March. These changes are part of the National Transport Commission/NHVR National Heavy Vehicle Roadworthiness program.
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One voice on critical COR reform

All of the representatives of the trucking industry have agreed to a single submission to the National Transport Commission on amendments needed to improve the current chain of responsibility situation. Speaking at an industry information forum, hosted by Cooper Grace Ward Lawyers on the Gold Coast today, Chris Melham has outlined the road transport industry’s position on COR.
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Fatigue and Safety - Talking Turkey About Trucking

Getting the story out there

By the time we get to the ATA conference in March, the trucking industry will have seen a lot of changes in the past year or so, among the people representing stakeholders. A large proportion of those representing the transport industry in industry associations, as well as those heading the important government agencies and organisations we deal with, are part of leadership changes.
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Fatigue and Safety - Talking Turkey About Trucking

Self preservation

The headlines out of the recent meeting of the Transport and Infrastructure Council in Launceston in Tasmania were all about the issues the ministers needed to be seen doing something about, tightening up vehicle maintenance accreditation.
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Fatigue and Safety - Talking Turkey About Trucking

We are not worthy

The worthiness of trucks on the road is a hot issue for not only trucking operators, but also the regulators and government departments tasked to keep the industry compliant and the highways safe. It would seem a change in the way the road worthiness of a truck has been assessed and monitored is going to have a substantial change in the next few years.
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Fatigue and Safety - Talking Turkey About Trucking

Picking the right fight

Sometimes it is just choosing your battles and the timing of them which achieves results. Getting the target or the timing wrong and you send the incorrect message and miss your target. The submission by the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) to the joint National Transport Commission/National Heavy Vehicle Regulator heavy vehicle roadworthiness review sets out to attack a direct competitor, sending out the wrong message, if progress is the aim.
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Getting PBS to work

The Australian trucking industry has been very patient with the Performance Based Standards (PBS) system for some time. A new discussion paper released by the National Transport Commission is looking at ways to extend the benefits, in terms of increased payload capacity, to non-PBS vehicles with the same specification. The Discussion Paper aims to get industry and regulator feedback on how this extension of productivity benefits could be achieved and see PBS achieve the kind of improved outcomes promised when it was initially set up.
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