Better truck safety through industry cooperation: ALC

Improving safety outcomes across the supply chain is a core objective for the Australian Logistics Council (ALC), according to Managing Director, Michael Kilgariff.
“ALC strongly supports the changes to Chain of Responsibility (CoR) provisions under the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) due to commence operation in mid-2018, requiring all supply-chain participants to take greater responsibility for safety and heavy vehicle maintenance, and ensure they have systems in place to effectively manage safety risks,” said Kilgariff.
“It is equally imperative that all parties in the supply chain understand and act upon their safety obligations. That is why ALC and the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) are developing a Master Code for heavy vehicle safety, capable of becoming a registered industry code of practice under the HVNL.
“ALC has also long-supported the mandatory use of telematics and tools such as Electronic Work Diaries (EWD) to enhance safety. In our view, the review of regulatory telematics being undertaken by the National Transport Commission (NTC) must actively consider the benefits of using telematics to improve multiple aspects of heavy vehicle safety.
“We have similarly called on the Federal Government to introduce a national operator licensing system to make certain the nation’s heavy vehicle fleet is operated by competent professionals who understand their safety obligations,” he said.