The NHVR will inspect around 9000 heavy vehicles during its national survey in a bid to gain a better understanding of the country’s heavy vehicle fleet.
The NHVR’s CEO Sal Petroccitto said the National Roadworthy Baseline Survey would sample around 9000 heavy vehicles.Vehicles in the sample would include buses, B-Doubles, rigid, articulated, plant equipment and road trains.
In an article on Fullyloaded.com.au, Petroccitto explained,
“For the first time in Australia, we’ll be conducting a national survey of heavy vehicle roadworthiness using trained inspectors to gather consistent safety information,” “Different data is currently compiled by each state and territory which means that the roadworthiness of heavy vehicles nationally is unclear. “It’s a fundamental roadblock to understanding the safety of the fleet and to achieving national consistency.” Source: http://www.fullyloaded.com.au/industry-news/1604/nhvr-to-hold-national-heavy-vehicle-inspection-survey/Mr Petroccitto said each inspection would take place at the road site check points and depots. The inspection is expected to be around 45 minutes long. The inspection programme will run in August and September but before it commences the NHVR will collaborate with industry and government groups about the possible impacts of the survey. The National Heavy Vehicle Inspection Manual Version 2.1 will come into effect on July 1st and is soon to be adopted nationally. The manual will form the basis of each inspection during the National Roadworthy Baseline Survey. Mr Petroccitto went on to explain:
“For the first time all heavy vehicle inspections will rely on a consistent inspection manual,” Petroccitto says. “This health check of the heavy vehicle fleet is an important building block to a nationally consistent inspection system.” Source: http://www.fullyloaded.com.au/industry-news/1604/nhvr-to-hold-national-heavy-vehicle-inspection-survey/The national truck inspection manual has been welcomed by the nation’s largest industry body, The Australian Trucking Association (ATA). The ATA believes a simplification and unification of standards for trucking operators crossing state borders would benefit the industry. ATA CEO Christopher Melhham explained,
“With a single set of uniform standards to work from, trucking operators can avoid the frustration of enforcement officers applying different standards in different states and territories,” “The ATA consulted extensively with the NHVR during the development of this manual to ensure it meets the requirements of the trucking industry.” Source: http://www.fullyloaded.com.au/industry-news/1604/nhvr-to-hold-national-heavy-vehicle-inspection-survey/The ATA has also expressed similar approval of the survey as long as inspectors are trained adequately beforehand. It stated:
“The ATA strongly supports the idea of the NHVR collecting national roadworthiness data,” ATA policy manager Bill McKinley says, “however, the enforcement officers conducting the inspections will need to be trained to apply the inspection standards consistently before the survey commences”. Source: http://www.fullyloaded.com.au/industry-news/1604/nhvr-to-hold-national-heavy-vehicle-inspection-survey/National adoption of the new manual is almost near completion and now the only states that have yet to adopt the new standards are The Northern Territory and Western Australia. In March we witnessed the introduction of the new manual across Tasmania, South Australia and The Australian Capital Territory. The heavy vehicle regulator is hoping the manual will encourage operators to implement preventative maintenance measures to improve safety across their heavy vehicle fleets.
