Reduced audits and independent accreditation are critical to improving trucking safety and productivity, Chair of the Australian Trucking Association (ATA), Geoff Crouch, said today.
The ATA and its member associations collectively represent the 50,000 businesses and 200,000 people in the Australian trucking industry. Together, we are committed to safety, professionalism and viability.
In his opening address today at the Australian Trucking Association and Australian Logistics Council Supply Chain Safety Summit in Sydney, Mr Crouch emphasised the need for law reform to address duplication and unnecessary complication surrounding compliance audits.
“The Australian trucking industry has come a long way since the Heavy Vehicle ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Law was introduced, but we cannot rest on our laurels,” Mr Crouch said.
“There are still problems within the law, which is why we called for a review.
“It has failed to increase our industry’s productivity and failed to address the growing number of customer audits that trucking businesses are required to undertake.
Mr Crouch said the audits are costly, time-consuming, generally cover the same ground and are of little legal value.
The ATA’s vision for the new heavy vehicle law includes a separate, voluntary, safety-based system for operators that need even more flexibility.
“We want to see the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Heavy Vehicle Regulator regulate accreditation scheme providers, not run one,” Mr Crouch said.
“This would improve productivity and provide greater benefit to operators by reducing the need for multiple scheme and customer audits. Most importantly, it would be a big step improving safety outcomes,” he said.
Mr Crouch said he looked forward to discussion during the Summit about the other barriers to streamlining compliance audits.
“This is about ensuring a safer industry, reducing audits, stronger regulation and competitive neutrality – there has never been a better time for transformational change in how we improve safety,” he said.
