Draft Code Flawed Like HVNL Says TWU

The Transport Workers Union (TWU) told the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) that the draft Master Registered Industry Code of Practice will be flawed as a safety instrument, if it comes into effect.

The ATA, of which the TWU is a member issued a submission on the draft code arguing that its flaws are similar to those in the National Heavy Vehicle Law.

The submission claims the voluntary code cannot address the fundamental cause of the transport industry crisis, because it is not capable of removing economic incentives that apply supply chain and contractual pressures.

In the submission, the ATA highlights the Macquarie University study, Regulating the Work Health Safety of Australia Road Freight Transport Drivers, of January 2017, which states that, following the abolition of the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal (RSRT) in 2016, there is “no regulatory mechanism that can eliminate existing incentives for overly tight scheduling, unpaid work, and rates that are effectively below cost recovery.”

Read the full story at https://www.ownerdriver.com.au/industry-news/1808/twu-lambasts-draft-industry-code-of-practice