Trucking industry safety summit tackles key issues

This year’s ALC & ATA Supply Chain Safety & Compliance Summit has been a success, with more than 300 people participating from across the supply chain.

The event identified key areas and issues for industry and governments alike to focus on in the pursuit of enhanced safety outcomes.

Jointly hosted by the Australian Logistics Council (ALC) and the Australian Trucking Association (ATA), the summit was held at Melbourne Park on 5–6 September and was the last major industry event held prior to the commencement of changes to the Chain of Responsibility (CoR) provisions in the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) on 1 October.

As the summit’s opening video noted, it is vital that these changes are well understood by all industry participants. Through better compliance, it is possible to provide safer workplaces and a safer environment for all road users.

Attendees had the opportunity to hear directly about initiatives to improve heavy vehicle safety from leading government figures, including the Deputy Prime Minister and Minster for Transport, Infrastructure and Regional Development, Michael McCormack, and Victoria’s Minister for Roads and Road Safety, Luke Donnellan.

A series of keynote addresses also explored opportunities to create a safer environment for heavy vehicle operators and for all road users by taking advantage of improving technology, promoting a positive safety culture in workplaces and ensuring everything possible is done to protect the physical and mental wellbeing of the dedicated professionals who keep the nation’s heavy vehicle fleets moving.

The summit focused heavily on the industry-wide Master Code for heavy vehicle safety, which has been jointly developed by ALC and the ATA over the past year, setting out how it can be used by all supply chain participants with CoR obligations to manage risks in their own operations.

Through a series of panel discussions and interactive workshops, summit participants identified a number of key developments and areas for industry to address in order to deliver better supply chain safety.

The major issues and areas for further action identified were as follows:

1. End-to-end supply chain collaboration on safety is vital. More needs to be done to demonstrate that an effective approach to managing safety risks not only delivers better safety outcomes but also greater efficiencies for operators and for customers.
2. 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.
3. 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 focused on ‘box ticking’ and instead does more to embrace the practical, real-world experience of drivers in managing safety risks.
4. Jurisdictional inconsistencies in the enforcement of CoR and the HVNL remain a significant frustration. Leading industry bodies such as ALC and the ATA should lead efforts to ensure compliance authorities understand how consignors and consignees are managing risks — and ensure those efforts are being recognised when it comes to enforcement.
5. Executive-level recognition of the importance of CoR will drive better safety. When a company’s leadership shows they ‘get it’, it drives cultural change throughout an organisation. ALC and the ATA can play a role in helping executives understand that demonstrating compliance with their safety obligations is not merely a legal requirement but offers tangible business benefits.
6. Statistics on heavy vehicle safety need to be presented more effectively. The tendency to assume that the heavy vehicle is at fault in every incident has a bearing on the industry’s social licence. Industry should work with authorities to ensure the statistics present a more accurate picture and develop strategies to ensure passenger vehicles share the road with heavy vehicles more safely.
7. There needs to be far more honest conversation about mental health in the industry. Driving is a solitary activity that necessitates a lot of time away from homes and families. Industry organisations need to work collaboratively on initiatives that remove the stigma around talking about mental health challenges. Developing programs that equip the industry’s workforce with tools needed to deal with mental health issues effectively must be a top priority.
8. Improving technology should be embraced by all in the effort to save lives on our roads. This includes promoting much greater uptake of telematics, in-vehicle cameras and the development of consistent data standards that will promote enhanced safety right through the supply chain, assist with business management and promote better infrastructure investment (including rest stops).

ALC and the ATA will work to promote the development of practical solutions to the challenges identified.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Dudarev Mikhail