Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 384 i Australasian Transport News (ATN)

Transport and Logistics took a leap forward with the Australian Logistics Council (ALC) and Australian Trucking Association (ATA) linkage – its first promenade being the recent Supply Chain Safety and Compliance Summit in Melbourne. It and the nascent code of industry practice must rank as one of the brightest initiatives the organised industry has managed in this decade, and it should be kept in mind that the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) supported the code development financially. To present something of a united front before the federal transport minister, albeit one who may only have several months’ worth of incumbency, along with a state counterpart whose government faces its own existential threat even sooner, may seem a limited accomplishment, but it will be noted. No portfolio newcomer would want to…

Heavy vehicle fatal crashes and resultant fatalities may have resumed their downward trend after two years when the story was increasingly grim. Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) statistics show record lows on both scales, with the fatal crash total, at 176 for the 12 months to June, below 180 for the first time in a decade and undoubtedly for several before that, which are not recorded in the current series. After being stuck at 200 for the period in 2011 and 2012, they sank to 182 in 2015 before rising back to 194 in June last year, much to the alarm of the trucking industry, governments and observers. That rise put a brake on the trend change percentage for the last 10, five and three years, which…

“No other job in Australia is as deadly as truck driving.” A MONASH UNIVERSITY study shows that truck drivers are 13 times more likely to die at work than any other profession, prompting calls for action. No other job in Australia is as deadly as truck driving, a stark finding that has prompted calls for an overhaul of driver health monitoring. The study, supported by Linfox and the Transport Workers’ Union (TWU), based its findings on more than 120,000 compensation claims across a 12-year period. During that period there were 545 compensated fatalities among truck drivers, making the risk of dying at work 13 times higher than it is for any other Australian workers. One of the co-authors of the study, Monash University’s Ross Iles, explains on ABC Radio that…

THE AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND DRIVERLESS VEHICLE INITIATIVE (ADVI) has predicted the driverless vehicle industry is set to provide Australia with a major productivity rise, as soon as 2025. On the release of a connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) report it commissioned on the innovation’s likely impacts, ADVI foresees many of the sorts of gains electric vehicle proponents argue will come the nation’s way if that propulsion source gains resources and policies to grow. For freight transport and logistics companies, it sees driverless vehicles “offering an increase of capacity for logistics companies, allowing for more shipments, and the technical transition of a driver to become a monitor of an autonomous vehicle system”. But in a rejection of recent naysaying in the general transport and logistics world, the report, Autonomous Vehicles:…

The National Road Transport Association (NatRoad), in collaboration with the Paccar Dealer Network, announced its ‘Future-Ready’ program at the 2018 NatRoad Annual Conference. The peak trucking body points out that, with less than 15 per cent of truck drivers under the age of 30 and the road freight task set to double by 2030, the industry is justifiably concerned about the looming national driver shortage. The initiative comes as both as the Women Driving Transport Careers push for more drivers gathers increased pace and Paccar gains more official recognition for its general training performance. “With the average age of current drivers now 53, and the difficulties with getting insurance for those under the age of 25, the problem is compounding,” NatRoad CEO Warren Clark says. “When you combine all the…

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has made the call to extend the 160km work diary exemption for primary producers. NHVR productivity and safety executive director Geoff Casey says the National Primary Production Work Diary Exemption 2018 will continue and doesn›t pose safety concerns. “The current notice extending the 100km limit to 160km was first trialed in 2015 and [was] due to end on October 4,” Casey says. “A review by the NHVR found that there was no evidence linking the exemption to any safety concerns over the past three years.” The notice will continue to apply to fatigue-regulated heavy vehicles transporting produce between a primary production facility and a point of sale, processing or distribution (including return journeys) within 160km of the driver’s base for the next three years.…

THE NATIONAL HEAVY VEHICLE REGULATOR (NHVR) will cut inspection wait times for compliant heavy vehicle operators when a new national database is introduced, chief executive Sal Petroccitto says. Speaking to the Road Freight New South Wales 2018 conference, Petroccitto says the database will help reduce downtime during compliance checks. “By this time next year, we’re expecting to be able to have available in real time on the side of the road, national information for our officers,” Petroccitto says. “The ability to have the information means we know the type of operator that we’re dealing with. “But more importantly, this allows us to target who we want to look at as opposed to targeting everyone who’s trying to do the right thing. “Our view is education not strict enforcement, to ensure…

Frasers Livestock Transport compliance manager Athol Carter has been appointed to the TruckSafe board, the risk management system owned by the Australian Trucking Association. Carter, right, says he is looking forward to working collaboratively with industry to enable more productive and efficient work. “I’m proud and excited to join the board and look forward to working with our TruckSafe members and the broader industry to embrace safer and more innovative transport practices,” he says. Carter is a member of TruckSafe’s Animal Welfare sub-committee and, according to TruckSafe chair Ferdie Kroon, has provided it with advice as it prepares to release a module setting out the best-practice expectations for livestock transport. As a member of the TruckSafe Board, Carter will help it deliver benefits to road transport operators, customers, governments and…

In July, the Australian Government issued a consultation paper on establishing an independent price regulator for the fuel-based road user charge and the very high registration charges we pay. At present, the road user charge and registration charges are decided by governments, although the National Transport Commission (NTC) sends them recommendations. In recent years, the NTC has told governments that our charges are too high and that they should be reduced. To its credit, the Australian Government has reduced its road user charge. But we will still be overcharged by $189.5 million in 2018-19. In our submission in response to the Government paper, we said we supported an independent price regulator. But the Government’s plan does not go far enough. The members of our member associations are being hammered by…

“As of October 1, you can’t ignore COR.” The new Chain of Responsibility (COR) laws are commencing on October 1 – but what do the changes really mean for your business? Here, we discuss the major implications for which you need to be prepared. 1. You can’t ignore COR anymore If you are one of the businesses that continues to say that “COR is the responsibility of our transport provider, that’s what we pay them for”, or that has buried its head in the sand because COR looks too difficult to tackle, you are going to have to change. The increased COR compliance obligations put COR on par with work health and safety. The exact same legal test and the exact same penalties will apply under both regimes. The increased…

If you ask FBT Transwest managing director Cameron Dunn to point to the number-one factor that has got his lost time injury frequency rate (LTFIR) down to zero, he won’t point to a noticeboard of WHS policies. Nor will he point to any quick-fix gimmick on the road. He won’t even point to the safety-assured accreditation, AS4801, which covers all five of its depots, or to the 18-month slog it took him to get the business issued with a Major Hazard Facility licence. Ask him why his business is so safe and he’ll point to his head. “Safety,” he says, “is a mindset. It’s about belief.” Belief is a word Dunn uses a lot. Belief that you can constantly do things better, even if you’re already at the top. Belief…

To the Supply Chain Safety and Compliance Summit in Melbourne, where NTI CEO Tony Clark gave one of the more rollicking presentations, thus proving again, if such repetition is needed, that you go to insurance-types for light reflections on the human condition. Tongue firmly in cheek, Clark recounted his feelings on aspects of rural produce. “We insure quite a lot of meat. Not a couple of pallets but tens of millions of dollars of meat. There was a particularly devastating fire but I thought ‘you should be able to salvage some of it, sell it somewhere, can’t be that bad’. So my theory, you know, barbeque, you’re out with your mates camping, it’s got a bit green, cut a bit off, cook it, beer. No problem at all. Move on.…

VICTORIAN POLICE have located some of the vehicles missing from Hennessy Transport after their registrations were allegedly wrongly transferred to a third party earlier this year. The investigation into the “thefts and deceptions” involving the business is ongoing, Victoria Police say, telling ATN that five prime movers and nine trailers have been recovered to date. As ATN reported earlier, the company claimed 39 trucks and trailers went missing after its vehicle registrations were transferred into the name of someone who did not own them in two batches earlier this year. The mystery surrounding the vehicles has deepened further with new facts emerging about the sale of the interstate freight transport business prior to the appointment of a liquidator on March 16. Official documents unearthed by ATN reveal that before it…

LINDSAY AUSTRALIA has recorded a net profit of $8 million for the 2017-18 financial year, up 25.4 per cent on the previous year, on the back of strong performance in its transport division. Company-wide revenues were up 8 per cent to $364.9 million, from $337.7 million in 2016-17. Profits from Lindsay’s transport division were up 13 per cent to $28.43 million while revenue was up 10.2 per cent year on year – largely driven by increased utilisation rates, customer additions, pricing increases and fuel levy recoveries, the company says. Company chief executive Kim Lindsay says the transport division had grown its revenue in spite of a volatile fuel pricing environment at the start of the year: “This result is testament to our focus on improved utilisation rates and investment in…

“We aim for nothing less than transforming the way we do our business.” THE PARENT COMPANY of MAN and Scania has changed its name – though the newly-rebadged Traton Group will retain its links to parent company Volkswagen for the foreseeable future. Officially ditching the name of Volkswagen Truck & Bus last week, Traton will also incorporate digital services comapny Rio and the Brazilian group Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus – though each of the marks will retain their identity under the new body. Traton CEO Andreas Renschler says the company is aiming to become the most profitable and innovative player in the sector, saying the new company has the benefit of experience but with the “unique character of a start-up.” “This combination is what it takes to re-invent transportation for…

THE NATIONAL ROAD TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION (NATROAD) has announced a partnership with the Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA) ahead of the 2019 Brisbane Truck Show (BTS). The largest transport event in the Southern Hemisphere will offer even more next year, with the annual NatRoad Conference set to be held at the Show. NatRoad chief executive Warren Clark explains the decision will bring the best from across the industry. “We are excited to partner with HVIA to deliver our next conference at the 2019 Brisbane Truck Show,” Clark says. “The conference will bring together industry leaders, public and private sector experts and allow attendees to hear from and share ideas with key stakeholders in the road transport sector. “This conference truly encompasses our vision of a harmonised road freight industry and will…

THE VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT has recruited a water infrastructure specialist to oversee a major road maintenance blitz ahead of the state election in November. Paul Northey, left. most recently the general manager of infrastructure services for Barwon Water, has been appointed the state’s chief regional roads officer and will head the new division of VicRoads from September. As head of Regional Roads Victoria, Northey will oversee a planned $941 million investment in the state’s roads, with more than 1,000km of road to be repaired, resurfaced or rebuilt across country Victoria this year. “I’m looking forward to visiting communities across the state to talk about Regional Roads Victoria, and to learn more about their priorities as we upgrade the regional road network,” Northey says.…

• Establish context – describe the transport activity and roles in the chain of responsibility • Step 1: Identify hazards – identify anything that could partially cause harm or loss • Step 2: Assess risk – consider how the hazard or risk could cause harm to loss. Look at your existing controls to eliminate or minimise the risk • Step 3: Control risk – try to eliminate the risk first, but, if that’s not possible, put additional controls in place to minimise the risk so far as reasonably practicable.…

Statistics show about 50 truck drivers die every year in Australia. Between the years 2003 and 2015 there were 535 fatalities among workers in the road freight transport industry, representing about 15 per cent of all workplace fatalities. There were 8330 workers compensation claims for serious injuries requiring more than a week off work lodged in the transport, postal and warehousing industry. The news got even worse in May, when Monash University released the findings of a 12-year study of health and safety in the Australian trucking industry. Titled Driving Health: Work related injury and disease in Australian truck drivers, it found that truck drivers were 13 times more likely to die at work than any other profession, and that 1 million weeks of work were lost because of injury.…

MITSUBISHI TRITON GXL 4X4 SINGLE-CAB Engine: 2.4-litre 4cyl turbo diesel Max power: 133kW/178hp @ 3,500rpm Max torque: 430Nm @ 2,500rpm Gearbox: Five-speed automatic 4WD system: Part-time dual-range Front suspension: Independent/coil springs Rear suspension: Live axle/ leaf springs Wheel type: Steel Tyre size: 245/70R16 Unladen weight: 1,665kg GVM: 2,900kg Payload: 1,235kg (minus tray) Towing capacity: 3,000kg GCM: 5,785kg Overall length: Tray dependent Width: 1,815mm Height: 1,780mm Wheelbase: 3,000mm Ground clearance: 205mm Turning circle: 11.8m Fuel tank capacity: 75 litres ADR fuel claim: 7.5 litres/100km Test fuel use: 9.2 litres/100km Range: 765km* *Based on test fuel use, claimed fuel capacity and a 50km ‘safety’ margin.…

THE BRISBANE TRUCK SHOW has renewed long-term partnerships with BP Australia and Bauer Trader Media ahead of the 2019 event’s official launch later this year. BP returns as the show’s Platinum Partner; while Bauer Trader Media is back for its 10th show as Official Media Partner. “Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA) is again privileged to have market-leading brands BP Australia and Bauer Trader Media as partners for Australia’s premier transport industry event,” Brisbane Truck Show manager Noelene Bradley says. Adam Arnold, BP Australia general manager - marketing and offer development, says the company is delighted to once again be the Platinum Partner of the Brisbane Truck Show. “This will be an outstanding event which provides patrons with the opportunity to see the latest in industry product, technology and the people…

Chalmers Industries managing director John Carew has resigned effective immediately after the company incurred a net loss of $573,000 for the 2017-18 financial year, after recording a profit of $481,000 the year before. Company chairman Graham Mulligan will become executive chair “to affect an orderly transition to Chalmers’ next phase”, he writes in a letter to shareholders following the release of the company’s preliminary final report. The company says the result was a “disappointing performance”, particularly in light of the $68 million it generated in revenue, up $1.2 million on the year before. “The failure of this revenue increase to result in an improved financial performance is due to a changed sales mix when comparing the 2017 financial year to 2018,” it states. Chalmers attributes much of the loss to…

THE NATIONAL TRANSPORT COMMISSION (NTC) says it expects to draft a whole new Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) after it completes its review of the existing law. The statement comes as the nation’s peak trucking body cast doubt on whether the NTC is the right body to conduct such a review. According to NTC chief executive Paul Retter, the initiative will be a “back-to-basics” review expected to result in an entirely new performance-based law that is fit for purpose. “Since May 2018, we have heard a lot from industry about the government not being prepared to make wholesale change to the law,” Retter says. “Based on our discussions with governments, I am firmly of the view that this is not correct. “The HVNL, in its current form, does not reflect…

“Activity levels are expected to continue to improve.” K&S CORPORATION has recorded annual profit before tax of $24.6 million, an improvement on the previous corresponding period of 161.7 per cent for the full year ended June 30. Operating revenues increased 13.2 per cent on the previous financial year to $854.6 million. Underlying profit before tax was $11 million, a 1.8 per cent increase, while underlying profit after tax was $7.7 million, up 2 per cent. “Included in our statutory result was a $16.1 million receivable relating to compensation arising out of the closure of Aurizon’s intermodal business in December 2017,” the firm says. K&S says its claim is yet to be resolved but it is confident it will recover at least $16.1 million. Statutory profit also included $1.4 million in…

THE PENULTIMATE step in introducing Chain of Responsibility (COR) reforms to the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) has taken place, with the Queensland parliament passing the final amendments to the legislation. Approved earlier this year by states and territories party to the HVNL – New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and South Australia – the amendments needed to be passed in the Queensland parliament before being adopted by other jurisdictions. Having been passed, the new obligations apply from October 1 this year, when the full raft of changes to the HVNL take effect. As ATN reported earlier this year, the amendments passed will strengthen the investigative and enforcement powers of authorised officers under the HVNL. According to law firm Cooper Grace Ward, the changes will allow authorised…

COURIERSPLEASE (CP) has appointed its first national process improvement specialist to improve customer experience and standard operating procedures. The parcel delivery service reveals that Tara Heylin, left, is now process improvement leader, and that the newly created role is part of CP’s recently established Process Excellence team. Heylin will review and improve systems and processes across all departments including operations, customer experience, sales, commercial, finance and IT. She joins CP with a Lean Sigma Six Black Belt, “a performance methodology that aims to create more streamlined processes”. Heylin has more than a decade of experience in improving processes and operations for some of Australia’s blue-chip financial corporations. She was most recently world-class delivery model delivery manager for ANZ.…

Trucking company K&S Corporation will appoint Wayne Johnston at its new chief financial officer from October 2, replacing long-serving CFO Bryan Walsh on his retirement. K&S says Johnston has extensive commercial experience in a number of international and domestic jurisdictions, having held senior roles with print products company Spicers, PaperlinX, Symbion Health and Mayne Group. Walsh, who has worked with K&S for the past 16 years, will cease to be CFO once Johnston starts with the group, but has agreed to remain with the business for another month to facilitate a smooth handover. K&S Corporation chairman Tony Johnson thanked Walsh for his contribution to the company. “We wish Mr Walsh well in his retirement,” he says.…

By some estimates, the delivery of goods over the last 100 yards is the most expensive and riskiest part of the supply chain. Dense urban environments, with congestion and lack of parking, are among the most challenging. Time pressure often leads to overloading of hand trucks and convertibles beyond what is ergonomically safe and productive. There is a solution that improves safety AND productivity; the innovative and award-winning Rotatruck. Its self-supporting and load-balancing design handles the hard work, making deliveries easier, quicker and safer. It is ideally suited for the last leg of the delivery in dense urban environments, especially across distance and for heavy, large or high volume loads. To learn more, go to www.rotatruck.com or call Kathy on 1300 768 222 to discuss how the Rotatruck can improve…

THE MAJOR ISSUES AND AREAS FOR FURTHER ACTION IDENTIFIED ARE: • End-to-end supply chain collaboration on safety is crucial. More needs to be done to demonstrate that an effective approach to managing safety risks not only delivers better safety outcomes, but greater efficiencies for operators and for customers • The master code is relevant to all parts of the industry, including smaller operators. ALC and the ATA should continue working to demonstrate how the master code embodies a practical approach to the management of safety risks, which will help demystify many of these issues for smaller operators • Increasing duplication throughout the auditing system for heavy vehicles is having a detrimental impact and must be addressed. Industry, customers, and the wider community will be better served by a system that is less focussed…

Amanda O’Brien gets three messages on average a week from complete strangers within the transport and logistics sector asking for her advice on workplace bullying and stress. Being one of the few female industry leaders, O’Brien, who is also the CEO of the Supply Chain and Logistics Association of Australia (SCLAA), has seen an increase in the number of men and women approaching her for help. Those pleas spiked following her speech at the Transport Women Australia’s Creating Connections conference earlier this year about her warehouse employee who had committed suicide. With mental health being a sensitive subject, O’Brien is encouraging fellow workers to open up about their ideas and emotions, calling on managers to shine a light on mental health issues. “There’s not enough focus on mental health in…

“Customers started to ask their providers why they should get rate increases at all.” Freight-pricing strategies may be of interest to readers and buyers of freight services. The strategies have been selected from some 100 pricing strategies that have been isolated and collected, over a 15-year period, across several countries and three continents. MOVING CLUB-BASED PRICING This pricing scheme was seen before and up to the 1990/91 recession in Australia. This recession in many ways was more severe than the global financial crisis (GFC). The 1990/91 recession started with the property bubble bursting in December 1990, followed by a severe impact on economic demand and employment. Before this recession, many freight customers were somewhat naïve when it came to freight negotiations, whereas now, for many reasons, customers have become far…

DT Training Australia is a Nationally T Registered Training Organisation which has successfully delivered world-class training for over 20 years. TDT Training is Victorian WorkSafe & Vic Roads accredited for training & assessment, after which TDT can issue licences on behalf of the appropriate authority. TDT has the credentials, facilities, trainers, resources and fleets to identify and meet your critical needs. As a family-run business our mantra is on safety, ensuring any licence we sign off on we are confident the recipient is safe to travel on the same roads or work in industry with others. As a leading Heavy Vehicle and High-Risk Work Licence provider, TDT Training is keen to point out to candidates that passing a test and walking out with a licence is the first step in…