On the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s Heavy Vehicle Confidential Reporting Line, the highest number of calls were from people dobbing on fatigue issues. The second most reported topic was business practices, followed by mechanical safety.
The confidential reporting service has been live since July last year, and has been answering around 115 calls a month, and responding to over 65 reports of non-compliance nationwide every month.
“The Heavy Vehicle Confidential Reporting Line enables drivers and parties in the heavy vehicle supply chain to pass on information about possible breaches of the Heavy Vehicle National Law,” said Sal Petroccitto, NHVR CEO. “Between October 2018 and January 2019, 505 calls were received which generated 289 new reports. Almost one-third of these were reporting fatigue concerns, and 25 per cent related to business practices.
“Concerns with mechanical safety (21 per cent) and load restraint (14 per cent) were the next most commonly reported. I encourage operators and supply chain parties to take advantage of this service and contribute to the safety of our industry without fear of recrimination.”
The line was established with $250,000 funding from the Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative, supported by the Commonwealth Government, to allow heavy vehicle safety concerns to be reported confidentially to the NHVR before being assessed and appropriate action taken.
To date, the Heavy Vehicle Confidential Reporting Line has been operated independently, however from March 1 calls will be answered by a special unit within the NHVR.
The new operating hours for the reporting line will be 7am-4.30pm (AEST) from Monday to Friday, which covers 90 per cent of all current calls. Calls will continue to be treated in the strictest confidence.
“The reporting line is an important tool for us to gather information that can help make our roads safer for all users,” said Sal. “It’s important that it’s supported beyond the current funding period and that the identity of the reporting individual is protected throughout all stages of the process.”
Heavy Vehicle Confidential Reporting Line is on
1800 931 785
Meanwhile in South Australia, the NHVR has also been active in a joint operation with WA Main Roads on the SA/WA border. The multi-agency Operation Long Run was a collaborative effort between the NVHR, Main Roads Western Australia, SA Police and the Department of Transport WA, led by WA Main Roads.
“Overall the results showed that safety was a priority in the industry with only 43 offences out of 481 units across 177 heavy vehicles detected with safety-related issues,” said Paul Simionato ,NHVR Operations Manage. “Unfortunately, six vehicles travelling west from South Australia were grounded for failing to hold WA accreditation, which is a concern.
“Operators need to remember that accreditation is mandatory for all heavy vehicles operating in WA, including those travelling from interstate. If your freight task requires you to drive through WA, you must be signed up to the WA Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme before you cross the border.”
