Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 346 i Australasian Transport News (ATN)

As readers turned the pages of the last issue, they may have noticed that a staple was missing. Not of the metal kind. We did away with that quite a while ago for what’s called ‘perfect binding’ to handle a bigger publication. Rather, for the first time in seven months, the magazine failed to feature a chain of responsibility (COR) feature. Some may have enjoyed a rest from the subject but they can’t deny its potency. In what other business sphere does government have the ability to intrude into and past the company operation to affect personal situations so seriously? Who else will raise a reflection of its reality to our political representatives and regulatory authorities? If all that official print and air fails to affect the behaviour of those…

The NTC believes extending executive officer liability (EOL) provisions to include a due diligence obligation needs more work to reconcile it with the duty already provided for under the Model work heal and safety (WHS) Act. “Although COR [chain of responsibility] and EOL are linked, the regimes are also separate and there are a number of the current offences that extend liability to executive officers which are not chain of responsibility offences,” the discussion paper reads. “The impact upon these non-COR offences would need to be considered. This proposal would also extend the liability of executive officers to areas of the HVNL [Heavy Vehicle National Law] that are not currently covered by the executive officer liability regime.” It also confirms the rejection of burden of proof falling on defendants. A…

Virgin Australia has cargo space for sale, at least from the beginning of next month. It is launching its own independent air cargo service for domestic and short-haul international routes, coinciding with the loss of a significant air freight contract with Toll Holdings. The airline’s long-standing relationship with Toll gave the freight forwarder exclusive access to Virgin’s freight capacity, but this will cease on June 30. The new cargo service will begin operating from July 1. Group executive for Virgin Australia Cargo Merren McArthur says it is a new direction for the Virgin business but adds it is a key plank in the group’s Virgin Vision 2017 strategy. “Virgin Australia will now actively compete in the domestic and short-haul international cargo market for the first time,” she says. “We will…

Asciano has revealed that Canadian private equity firm Brookfield has made an $8.8 billion takeover offer that its board believes is worth examining fully. The move is much bigger than the partnership with ports and logistics arm Patrick that Asciano managing director John Mullen earlier this year confirmed his firm was looking to gain from international players. Brookfield’s assets arm, Brookfield Infrastructure Partners (BIP), already owns Brookfield Rail and any possible regulatory hurdle, though unlikely, may relate to its business as Asciano also owns Pacific National. BIP also has 71 per cent of Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal and its Australian investments make up 32 per cent of its global footprint. Asciano describes the offer as “confidential, indicative, non-binding and conditional”, with an implied value of $9.05 a share, which is…

An awakening retail sector is fuelling increased demand for logistics and warehousing facilities in Australia’s capital cities. Commercial property agent Colliers International says this is to be expected whenever new investments in retail space take place. “As our retail spending increases, the need to ship retail goods from offshore and domestic producers to shopfronts and the homes of consumers increases,” managing director of Colliers’ industrial property practice Malcom Tyson says. “This has a direct impact on the demand for industrial property, as the industrial floor space required to warehouse and manage the logistics for these goods increases accordingly.” The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has found retail trade increased by 0.3 per cent during May, contributing to an annual rate of growth of 4.7 per cent — the strongest seen…

Transport researchers have given the “thumbs up” to Australia’s national science and research priorities. Announced by education minister Christopher Pyne on May 26, these include three transport-industry specific research areas: low emission fuel technology; improved logistics, modelling and urban design (including development of autonomous vehicles); and effective pricing, operation and resource allocation. “We will always make a considerable investment in science, research, and innovation, and continue to support a range of high-quality basic and applied research across all disciplines and in all areas,” Pyne says. “Nevertheless, we have finite resources and need to be strategic in how we invest.” The priorities — which also cover cross-disciplinary research into agriculture, cyber-security, health, and advanced manufacturing — aim to help Australia’s science and research efforts to reflect the needs of industry, the…

The Port of Melbourne will hit its capacity well before the proposed 50-year lease expires, Victoria University’s Institute for Supply Chain and Logistics has advised. Director Hermione Parsons says the state government should therefore avoid any privatisation deal in which it has to pay compensation if and when a second container port begins operation. “A new port will be required before the new lease ends, so any contractual arrangements involving compensation payments should be carefully reconsidered,” she says. Ports minister Luke Donnellan says the compensation clause is a necessary part of any public asset lease arrangement. He notes that compensation will only be triggered if a “significant” part of the container freight task is diverted from the Port of Melbourne. Speaking at the Victorian Transport Association’s Port Outlook seminar, Parsons…

Wyndham Industrial Liaison and Development (WILD) Committee, a group which has represented the businesses in the Laverton North Industrial Precinct for the past 20 years, has appointed co-chairs to replace Mick O’Donnell, who has resigned to pursue other interests. The newly appointed chairs are Garry Cahoon of One Steel and Jacquelene Brotherton of Oxford Cold Storage. The main focus of the group in recent years has been lobbying for the duplication of Dohertys Road and the upgrade of the Hume Road and Cherry Lane intersections, through the Fix Dohertys Road campaign. It is hoping to reinvigorate this campaign in the coming months. Cahoon has been employed at Onesteel Laverton North as a site services superintendent where he worked in all facets of engineering from planning, design, fabrication, building construction, plant…

I’m sure this is meant to be a serious gig. After all, on a regular basis, I park my butt in new vehicles touted to be the latest cost-effective business tools, environmentally conscious, safe and economically sensible. This is clearly serious stuff. Unfortunately light commercial vehicles (LCVs) more often than not fall into a yawning, sleep-inducing bracket. The heavy-duty big bangers take the commercial vehicle glory with all their chrome and bling, which tends to leave the other commercials looking like white goods on a department store display. If that is indeed the case, there must be something seriously out of whack with the new Iveco Daily because as I was steering the new van at the local launch recently, it made me smile. This is simply not acceptable as…

Earlier this year, together with the Bus Industry Confederation (BIC), The Interact Group launched the inaugural Bus and Coach Health and Wellbeing Study so we could gain a deeper understanding of the types of mental, physical and emotional health challenges that the bus and coach industry is exposed to. In doing so, we spent time with one of New South Wales’ largest bus operators to understand what ‘a day in the life of a bus driver’ was really like so we could easily identity the demands that drivers are under. We then used this knowledge to measure the impact that these pressures have on an individual driver’s health and wellbeing. Once we had this understanding, we were able to empower drivers in understanding the significant health benefits of working. We…

To the golden west for the love-in that was the official opening of vehicle sales behemoth AHG and global truck-maker Daimler’s new Perth facility. As he was searching for killer views on that magnificent building, our man on the spot was musing on how he’d love the AHG to source a retro-looking grand tourer along the lines of the Excalibur. Yes, he’s a bit vulgar like that but then he stumbled upon this vision in red that kind of put that black sword-car into the shade. It belongs to Sean Carren of Goldstar Transport, who uses it to get customers around big yards while looking after their better halves. Carren, who found her four or five years ago in south-east Asia somewhere and lent it for the opening ceremony, says…

Telematics can be an empowerment tool for the industry to influence infrastructure spending, a recent conference has heard. That interesting message comes from Roads Australia following its Brisbane freight productivity and safety workshop. “Road freight operators have a real opportunity to influence road maintenance spending priorities and productivity and safety outcomes by sharing more of the information gathered from on-board telematics systems and video cameras with asset managers and other key stakeholders,” the organisation says. “For example, the capacity of telematics systems was currently under-utilised and could be used more effectively to gather and share vehicle and driver information. “Other on-board tools like video cameras — currently used by a number of larger fleet operators — could provide regular and up-to-date info on road condition to road asset managers, which…

In a silver lining after a truck rollover involving subsidiary Cootes, parent firm McAleese has seen road authorities give 16 vehicles the all-clear. McAleese acted quickly after a Cootes gas tanker came to grief in July, badly injuring a female motorist, offering 15 other Cootes trucks for safety inspections in mid-July. A New South Wales Police and Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) survey passed the fleet, including the crashed truck, as fit. RMS director of safety and compliance Peter Wells says the joint traffic taskforce rigorously inspected 16 vehicle units, after one of the company’s trucks was involved in an accident, and all passed with no defects. “Cootes has been under examination by the taskforce since the fatal crash in Mona Vale in October 2013 and the 100 per cent…

A freeze to the heavy vehicle fuel excise will continue until at least the end of June 2016, the Federal Government has announced. Federal infrastructure minister Warren Truss says the charge will remain at its current level of 26.14 cents per litre next financial year, extending a freeze already in place. Truss says the decision is good news for the trucking industry, but operators were still due to pay higher vehicle registration fees from July 1. “It will reduce the cost of doing business for operators and support productivity in those sectors of the economy that rely on heavy vehicles to supply business inputs and deliver products to markets,” Truss says. “The annual saving to industry in 2015-2016 is estimated to be $11 million and follows findings by the National…

The 14.7-hectare Port Adelaide site of the once iconic Penrice Soda business has been sold. The strategic piece of land, with road, rail, and river access has been up for sale since Penrice was placed into liquidation last August. Local mayor Gary Johanson made no secret of his wish for an intermodal transport operation to seize on the “once in 100-year opportunity”, taking advantage of the site’s position and access, and also bringing employment opportunities to the City of Port Adelaide-Enfield. “I think it can produce far more jobs and opportunities for the community and the state than what poor old Penrice was doing the last few years,” Johanson said earlier this year. It is not immediately clear if that freight hub wish has been granted. McGrathNichol, which is handling…

Virgin Australia Cargo has appointed John Mason as its general manager commercial. Mason has 25 years’ experience in the air cargo, aviation and transport logistics industries within Australia and across the Asia Pacific region. “Following the launch of Virgin Australia Cargo on July 1, I am pleased to announce the appointment of John Mason to the role of general manager commercial. “John’s extensive experience in the freight industry, together with his success in business transformation and new venture start-ups, will be a great asset for Virgin Australia Cargo,” Virgin Australia Cargo CEO Merren McArthur says. Mason has worked in transport and logistics at Australian air Express, Air New Zealand, Lloyd Aviation and SkyWest Airlines. He most recently held the role of business and logistics management consultant at Health World, a…

When it comes to withstanding storms, Les (Blenner) Blennerhassett has some pointed experience. The founder and managing director of north Queensland line-haul operation Blenners Transport has seen off cyclones both literal and metaphorical over his 27 years in the business. When severe tropical cyclone Larry hit far north Queensland in March 2006, it was the banana industry that bore the most immediate pain. With close to 90 per cent of the annual crop devastated, it was forced to sell what it could. It then had to pick up the pieces before planting again with another year’s harvest in mind. Associated services were also hit hard — and without the silver lining of scarcity raising the prices of the limited work they could get. The cyclone’s impact was as devastating as…

If your business contracts its transport services out to another operator or labour hire business, and those businesses breach workplace laws, could your business be liable too? Businesses and individuals in the transport industry may be held liable through the chain of responsibility (COR) for breaches of the Heavy Vehicle National Law, or orders of the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal as supply chain participants. It is also possible for transport and logistics operators to be found liable for the contraventions of others in their supply chain under the Fair Work Act 2009. ACCESSORIAL LIABILITY The Act provides that a person who is ‘involved in’ a contravention of a workplace law is also deemed to have breached that workplace law too. A person will be ‘involved in’ a contravention if the…

Purchasing decisions are often fairly straightforward. For instance, if you’re purchasing transport services, especially, say, courier services, there seems to be a pretty wide number of organisations to choose from. One might get three quotes or a recommendation from a professional colleague. If it’s a very large piece of business you might go to tender. However, purchasing decisions can sometimes be complex. Looking at the price, considering the service quality and accounting for the accuracy of billing is not enough to satisfy the burning question of whether the price is reasonable and fair. When we go to the market it’s hard to differentiate between one brand and another. Consider telecommunications services. If you’re in a major city, it doesn’t seem to matter who you’re with, or at least that has…

Progress towards marrying chain of responsibility (COR) provisions under the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) with work health and safety (WH&S) law is progressing but that will mean higher penalties. Lawyers noted the WH&S direction earlier this year and Norton Rose Fulbright senior associate, Nicki Milionis, sees the National Transport Commission (NTC) confirming this. In his foreword, NTC CEO Paul Retter states: “The intention of these reforms is not to extend the scope of duties but to restructure and consolidate existing obligations to ensure current parties in the chain of responsibility take a performance based approach to their responsibilities.” Milionis says: “The transport ministers have given ‘in-principle support’ to reform of the COR laws to mirror a WH&S approach. The NTC is of the view that primary duties for safety…

The Western Australian transport industry is moving further from the national regulator, with adoption of a new forestry sector Code of Practice, formally signed on June 18. The code was developed between the WA Road Transport Association (WARTA) and the Forest Industries Federation WA (FIFWA), with specialist risk and compliance consultancy Latus also on board. WARTA CEO Ian King says the industry is happy to be involved. “WARTA and Latus have been working with other key sectors of the WA road transport sector highlighting the WA C&E requirements and supporting the drive by Main Roads WA to ensure all parties are aware of and understand their legal responsibilities,” he says. Latus managing director Mike Wood says the new code provides a practical guide for highlighting effective work practices within the…

Responses to South Australian premier Jay Weatherill’s mass, distance, location (MDL) pricing initiative has spanned the heat range, from the warm welcome to distinctly cool counter argument. At the lower end of the temperature scale, the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) stuck to its long-held position that government must reform its own approach before tapping the industry for changes. The trial would need to be run by the Federal Government, because it would involve changes to the fuel tax paid by trucking operators,” ATA national manager government relations and policy Bill McKinley says. “Under this system, every truck would be fitted with a special GPS tracker. “Trucking operators would be charged according to where their trucks went, how far their trucks travelled, and some measure of how much they weighed. “Before…

Australian transportation and logistics company Toll Group has signed a deal with United States safety technology firm Seeing Machines to integrate new driver safety systems across its fleet. Seeing Machines manufactures image-processing technology that monitors an individual’s eyes, face, head and facial movements to tackle driver fatigue and distractions. According to the company, its solution features an in-cab sensor, real-time alerts, safety analytics and office monitoring that aims to both keep drivers away from accidents and provide transport operators with trends and actionable insights. “We’ve implemented this best-in-class technology into an Advanced Driver Assistance System that monitors driver fatigue and distraction events in real-time, enacting an intervention strategy that improves driver and environmental safety,” it says. One of a number of companies already working with Seeing Machines, the deal will…

The Truck Industry Council (TIC) and the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) say a joint heavy vehicle identification initiative will help streamline sales regulations. The scheme for truck OEMs aims to easily identify that a heavy vehicle has had further work undertaken to a base cab/chassis vehicle by the OEM. According to NHVR productivity and safety executive director Geoff Casey, the manufacturers plate/ label enables the OEM to identify it completed the vehicle under its manufacturing and quality processes, as part of its identification plate approval (IPA) authority, without the need for certification by the NHVR. “Under the Heavy Vehicle National Law [HVNL], any equipment fitted, or modification undertaken to a vehicle after it is deemed to be complete [IPA fitment date] requires NHVR approval and affixing a modification plate,…

At the end of June, we were delighted to welcome two excellent Australian Trucking Association (ATA) wins on fuel tax for the trucking industry. These were a much hoped-for extension of the freeze on the heavy vehicle fuel tax rate, and the passage of legislation protecting trucking operators from a potential financial penalty caused by the fuel tax indexation arrangements. The trucking industry pays for its use of the roads through heavy vehicle registration fees and a road user charge on fuel, currently 26.14 cents per litre. However, the industry has been overcharged since 2007 because the National Transport Commission’s (NTC) charging model underestimates the number of trucks on the road. As a result, the calculated charge on each vehicle is too high. To the Australian Government’s great credit, it…