The trucking industry is working hard to ensure that trucks are the safest element on the road, writes Peter Anderson, CEO of the Victorian Transport Association.
The trucking industry has set itself a strict brief: it is working towards zero accidents. Our standards are lifting, our expectations are lifting, and our ability to create a much safer environment, not just for the operators but also for those who use the roads generally, is increasing.
Better safety standards for the trucking industry
Truck safety standards have changed dramatically over recent decades. Even over the past five years, driver standards and truck safety have improved ten-fold.
Industry standards exist to safeguard the public. It’s important to ensure the public is protected against an unreasonable risk of a crash occurring as a result of the design, construction or performance of a motor vehicle. And in the event that a crash does occur, it’s important to ensure the public is protected against an unreasonable risk of death or injury.
The heavy vehicle industry has welcomed changes to both technology and the law, which have seen the improvement in vehicle standards and vehicle safety. These standards are under constant scrutiny to ensure Australia remains one of the safest countries in the world for heavy vehicle movements per kilometre.
The advent of the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL), governed by the National Transport Commission and managed through the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator, shows that the transport industry is maturing, taking responsibility for its actions and agreeing to act responsibly within the broader community.
Further, the freight industry has taken on the responsibility of ensuring it is highly accountable for its actions and movement on the roads. To do this, it is adopting accreditation schemes, including the government-run National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme (NHVAS).
Three major elements are covered by the NHVAS – fatigue, mass-management and maintenance. However, the major element that’s still missing is speed. The industry is very sensitive towards these issues and goes outside the box to ensure it is being held accountable, and that the owners and operators of trucks are scrutinised accordingly.
The challenges the trucking industry faces
As with any industry, the trucking industry faces challenges regarding how to best meet safety standards.
One such challenge is social pressure from the community about where and when they expect trucks to operate. Unfortunately, community expectations don’t always align with the day-to-day issues the industry faces. For example, many roads simply don’t include the parameters to allow trucks of different sizes to move freely through them.
It’s easy to put all trucks into one category, but they’re not all the same, so problems can arise with infrastructure planning and development. A perfect example is garbage collection in the inner city. Many city warehouses have been converted to residential properties, but the windows weren't double-glazed in the process. This means a garbage truck reversing down a laneway can wake up and annoy residents in the early hours of the morning. Urban planners have cottoned on to this and have placed a ban on night-time activity. But this just means garbage vehicles are now interacting with peak hour pedestrian traffic. It’s just one instance where safety can take a back seat to community amenity.
Meeting the challenges head on
One way to assist with improving safety standards is licensing. Everybody who has a heavy vehicle licence needs to understand their responsibilities and the dynamics of driving a heavy vehicle in traffic on the roads. They also need to be aware of fatigue, mass management, load restraint and maintenance.
Plus, car drivers need to be educated. When it comes to car licensing, a module should be included on the dynamics of heavy vehicles on the road, so everyone understands how heavy vehicles work. That level of education in itself will save lives.
We really need a coordinated approach by everyone who uses the road.
We also have to keep driving the issue of technology. It’s important that governments understand the newer the truck, the safer the truck.
Perhaps there needs to be incentives for people and companies to purchase new trucks. New technologies are already coming through, including left-hand cameras, sleep detectors, advanced braking systems and anti-roll systems.
In an open market – which transport operators work within – there can be varying standards of application, investment and responsibility by an operator to gain and keep specific jobs and customers. By creating minimum standards of operation, based around vehicle standards, operators can deliver on keeping drivers and the community safe.
About the author
Peter Scott Anderson is the Chief Executive Officer of the Victorian Transport Industry (VTA). In his role, Peter is the voice of the transport and logistics industry in Victoria. He is committed to enhancing the productivity, safety, workforce development and sustainability of the industry.
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