NHVR Meeting Seeks Consistent Treatment and Compliance

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator meeting which included the regulator, government transport authorities and police representatives is seeking to establish a national approach.

The NHVR is pursuing compliance and consistent treatment throughout Australia, according to Sal Petroccitto, the NHVR’s CEO.

The meeting held in Brisbane was attended by representatives from the nation’s road transport and police agencies for discussions on a national framework for heavy vehicle compliance and enforcement.

The event, held last week, the National Compliance and Enforcement Operations Forum was organised by the NHVR. It was also attended by representatives from Western Australia and the Northern Territory — although these 2 jurisdictions have not yet submitted to the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL).

According to NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto now is the time to develop a national approach particularly because most jurisdictions in Australia have adopted the HVNL.

Mr Petroccitto stated,

“Today’s gathering is the first step towards developing a truly national approach to heavy vehicle safety and compliance,” he says.

“A national approach means sharing what we know across agencies and across borders to better target enforcement practices.

“It means taking the best in safety and compliance systems and practice from one state and rolling it out across other jurisdictions.”

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

One of the aims of the organisations meeting is to improve cross-border consistency. According to Petroccitto, if a national system is adopted, truck drivers will be more consistently dealt with across borders.

In an interview with ATN, posted on Fullyloaded.com.au Mr Petroccitto stated:

“A national approach to regulatory compliance means that a truck driver in Queensland would be treated exactly the same way as a truck driver in South Australia in terms of how he might be assessed against a roadworthiness issue, a loading issue, a defect issue. And that is what industry has been asking for,”

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

This would make life a lot easier for drivers and operators, but it would require states and territories to agree on consistent laws and regulations regarding vehicle mass, dimension and load issues. They have not been able to achieve this consistency thus far however Mr Petroccitto says he hopes the forum will be a catalyst that pushes the jurisdictions to reach an agreement on these issues.

This is expected to be the first of more meetings to be held by the NHVR and include key personnel from road transport and police agencies. He said that when issues arise, it is important that this group can be assembled quickly to discuss it.

Mr Petroccitto explained:

“We will probably propose a quarterly get-together but reserve the right to bring the group together as required. So I will be seeking that commitment from all of the jurisdictions today,”

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

In the future, forums will also include representatives from the industry, Mr Petroccitto explained. The NHVR isn’t sure whether the meetings will combine government agencies and industry or whether separate meetings will be held.

The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) has also supported the gathering and the call for a national approach to heavy vehicle compliance.