ATA Wants COR Offenders Made Public

Those found guilty of Chain of Responsibility (COR) offences may soon find themselves being publicly shamed if the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) gets its way.

The ATA has called for the public availability of COR prosecution details. ATA CEO Christopher Melham recently called for regular reports on the extent and nature of non-compliance from operators across the supply chain.

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In a statement recently Mr Melham expressed his desire for the NHVR to report COR offences. Mr Melham believes reporting COR offences will help the industry judge its’ COR performance and whether or not it was complying.

Mr Melham explained:

“In order for industry to judge its performance under COR, the ATA feels it is necessary for the NHVR to provide regular reports regarding the extent and nature of non-compliance across the supply chain.  

“The ATA encourages the NHVR to incorporate requirements in its service provider agreements that it has in place with contracted jurisdictions (if not already in place) for them to provide the NHVR with regular case results in this area, including those not publicly reported.

“These should then be made publicly available by the NHVR.

Source: http://www.fullyloaded.com.au

Mr Melham explained that full disclosure of chain of responsibility court decisions would help the industry to better its’ COR efforts. He went on to state:

“The industry remains committed to improving its safety and compliance record, and trusts that jurisdictions share the same objective.

“Full and transparent disclosure of COR court decisions will assist the industry to improve its performance under COR.”

Source: http://www.fullyloaded.com.au

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According to the post, on Fullyloaded.com.au Sal Petroccitto NHVR CEO said that it preferred an “industry education program” that would include liaison and input from the trucking industry rather than make compliance records available to the public.

Petroccitto explained that the regulator did not keep an internal archive because the details of all prosecutions and judgements are available from various state and territory agencies but under the HVNL it must report to ministers on COR progress. 

Petroccitto explained in a written response,

“Rather than make legal judgements available, the NHVR is aiming to produce user-friendly, plain-English advice and support materials for industry, so that all COR parties understand their obligations,”

Source: http://www.fullyloaded.com.au

He went on to explain that the regulator would lead an industry education program as part of a national operating framework for COR. The program is being developed at the moment.

The program is being established in collaboration with NHVR National Compliance and Enforcement Operations Forum (NCEOF), which comprises heads of heavy vehicle compliance for all state and territory road transport authorities and police agencies.

The program will involve industry representatives giving practical advice on the development of the program’s framework and educational materials.

Mr Petrocccitto stated,

“Training programs for NHVR service providers (who apply the law on the Regulator’s behalf) will also be developed under the same banner, aiming to align investigative skills and prosecutions with nationally consistent protocols.”

Read more at: http://www.fullyloaded.com.au

Don’t want to be caught out for compliance issues, find out more about COR compliance here.