At the point where the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator is coming in for heavy criticism over the debacle caused by the botched handover of permit issuing duties from the states, a chink of light and a genuine improvement from the national law pops its head up. The timing may be just a bit too well planned, but the NHVR have announced truck drivers will no longer be legally obliged to carry proof of accreditation for mass or maintenance management schemes.
The NHVR have announced the Transport and Infrastructure Council has asked the National Transport Commission (NTC) to prepare an amendment to the Heavy Vehicle National Law, to remove clauses requiring drivers to carry documents proving enrolment in accreditation schemes.
Importantly, the NHVR has issued instructions for roadside officers to cease enforcing the requirement forthwith. It has informed the state and territory road transport authorities they are not to enforce sections 468 and 470(2)(b) of the national law, against drivers or operators, in relation to the carriage of documents for mass management or maintenance management.
The original instructions talked about issuing warnings until March 10 before enforcing the requirements but the NHVR now believes there is no safety issue arising and sees no merit in seeking to enforce these requirements until ministers and Parliament have had an opportunity to consider the proposed amendment.
The NHVR points out the rules for basic fatigue management (BFM) and advanced fatigue management (AFM) remain the same. Drivers must still carry and produce on demand all the relevant documents which show that they have been trained and inducted in these two safety-related management schemes.
This change may be the first tangible change truck drivers will notice, arising from the shift to the NHVR. It comes as a welcome relief for the regulator, which has been fielding flak from many directions as the permit issuing system remains in flux and trucking operators sit and wait for permission to move loads.