Australasian Transport News (ATN) Issue 382

This humble scribe can recall a time when the inner thoughts of a US president had to wait on a book or a newspaper story to see the light of day. No longer. And as the present incumbent looks to shake up the status quo, for eventual good or ill, it seems all things American are being seen through the prism of Donald Trump’s tweets. Certainly, it has been only 18 months into his incumbency but Trump has been as good as his promise to those who voted for him to change the world. We now know that this means injecting a huge dose of uncertainty into the world economy through a radical reversal of the trade policy, just as memories of the Global Financial Crisis fade and corporate balance…

A major Australian transport company has recently been denied access to the PBS level 1 road network in a major state because the single rigid Performance-Based Standards (PBS) truck did not have a trailer, Dogs&Chains understands. The permit that was used in Victoria, Western Australia and the ACT was no longer good enough for NSW. The permit expired early this year. To access the PBS 1 network, a rigid truck apparently needs a trailer! The truck was given access to the NSW main roads network but only after the vehicle had sat against the fence for four months. For a nation that wants a lot more urban PBS vehicles operating, this is not a good start for Australia. Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) recently failed to renew the Aussie Post…

CHINESE COMPANY HNA INTERNATIONAL has terminated its agreement to acquire Automotive Holdings Group’s (AHG) refrigerated logistics business, the Australian company has announced. The decision comes after AHG announced in June that it would not meet the original deadline for the $400 million deal for the sale of its Rand, JAT, Harris and Scott’s Refrigerated Freightways businesses. AHG said at the time that it was still waiting on approval from the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB), but added that HNA had also asked it to alter the terms of the deal. AHG managing director John McConnell says while he is “disappointed with this outcome”, it would now allow the Refrigerated Logistics management team to focus fully on running the business. “HNA made an unsolicited offer for the Refrigerated Logistics division last…

Victoria will introduce new laws for owner-drivers following a review of its Owner Drivers and Forestry Contractors (OFDC) Act, which started in 2016. Victorian Minister for Industrial Relations Natalie Hutchins says the review uncovered widespread non-compliance by businesses, which meant drivers were not being paid on time, and were thus at a competitive disadvantage. “The new laws will put an end to this,” she says. The OFDC’s joint negotiation provisions will change – requiring hiring companies to offer contractors existing site agreements, rather than renegotiating a new contract for every new owner-driver. The government will also close a loophole that has kept some owner-drivers from being able to access the Victorian Small Business Commission and the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. In addition to this, the Small Business Commission will…

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT has caved into pressure from companies and industry organisations, launching an independent review into the delays heavy vehicle operators incur in getting special road access permits. The Oversize Overmass (OSOM) inquiry will be carried out by WSP Australia and led by Pascal Felix, who was executive director of Heavy Vehicle Services for Main Roads Western Australia before starting with the consultancy firm last year. Felix’s participation has been welcomed by Western Roads Federation CEO Cam Dumesny, who told ATN that Felix had helped to build a workable oversize, overmass system for the state at the height of the mining boom. “From our perspective he was the right bloke for the job,” he says. “We pushed for it to be independent, outside of government.” The review follows concerns…

The OSOM review is to consider the productivity, asset management and safety impact of existing access arrangements for OSOM vehicles. Among the topics to be considered are: 1. Current access arrangements for OSOM vehicles and permit approval times, including HVNL designated roles, processes and responsibilities 2. Current practices and principles used by road managers to understand the key considerations that underpin the assessment of risk and risk-mitigation decisions 3. The factors that contribute to approval times from application to issuing access permits, including route and asset assessments, the IT systems and tools used, and third-party consultation 4. The impact on industry and road managers from existing OSOM access arrangements 5. Attributes or components of equivalent best practice arrangements 6. Variations in OSOM access arrangements and permit approval processes between states,…