Almost each day we hear of some or the other accident occurring in Oz, usually involving a heavy vehicle. The most recent involved a road train carrying metal from the mines near Mingenew. The road train lost control causing it to jack knife and topple over. Although the driver was not critically injured, he could have been which demonstrates the importance of truck safety and the need for chain of responsibility enforcement. The crash was documented by the website, SafetyCulture.com.au:

In Western Australia early this morning a road train with two trailers of iron ore rolled about 15 kilometres north of Mingenew.  The driver, a 58-year-old man, tried to control the vehicle when it veered onto the gravel however it jack knifed and the prime mover and the first trailer turned over.  Emergency workers and police attended from Dongara and the driver was transported to the Dongara Medical Centre but later transferred to Geraldton Regional Hospital. It is reported that his injuries are not life threatening.  The road was closed to traffic until 8.15 am when it was cleared with the use of a 50 tonne crane and a tow truck. Source: http://www.safetyculture.com.au.

The reason for chain of responsibility legislature is to hold everyone in the chain responsible for their actions that may lead to an incident, not just target drivers, who are normally the first to get blamed. According to regulation any party that has control in the transport chain could be held responsible and made legally liable. This includes suppliers, transport companies and receivers. There are certain issues that seem to be plaguing the road transport industry in terms of a lack of safety, namely speeding, drink and drug driving and fatigue. There are other issues however in terms of driver responsibility these are 3 that are most common. Other issues that could have helped avoid the incident above are:

• Drive at a consistently moderate speed if you are driving a truck with a loaded trailer. Suddenly increasing or decreasing your speed may result in the trailer’s cargo shifting which can cause a truck to skid or roll over. Huge truck trailers that carry loads up to full capacity are 10 times more at risk of rolling over than trucks with empty trailers.
• Beware of poor travelling conditions and changes in road surface, such as change from tarred roads to gravel.  Uneven roads, potholes or other adverse road conditions can make driving difficult and unpleasant. Extreme weather conditions such as snow, rain, ice etc. make roads slippery and reduce visibility. The truck will become difficult to manoeuvre in these conditions. Reduce your speed limit to match these conditions. Most fatal crashes are the result of speeding.
• Ensure you maintain good visibility at all times. Truck drivers have limited visibility and often encounter blind spots. The effect of blind spots can be minimised through proper mirror placement, strategic lane change procedures and advanced turning options.
• Adhere to Speed limit signs and beware curves and bends in the road ahead. Speed limits are announced by warning boards and signage prior to curves and bends in the road, most of these apply to passenger vehicles not trucks. Large trucks need to slow down to a speed even lower than that indicated on a signboard. It is possible for large trucks manoeuvring the curve while moving at the signboard speed limit to lose control and over turn. Avoid applying brakes while going around a bend to avoid causing the truck wheels getting locked and the truck skidding.