The National Transport Commission has released a discussion paper on proposed changes to the fatigue management rules under the heavy vehicle national law.
The Department will be holding a workshop to discuss the paper next Monday which HVIA will attend.
The proposal will see the standard hours approach with the existing law replaced with a general schedule which will:
- Provide a set of work and rest hours for as many HV drivers as feasible
- Ensure that driving hours do not increase and rest hours do not decrease based on scientific evidence
- Provide flexibility to operators e.g. scheduling flexibility and drivers to assist in managing unscheduled events/unforeseen circumstances whilst driving.
- Maximise practicality;
- improve understanding of fatigue rules
NTC is seeking input on whether the proposed schedule:
- Achieves the objectives related to simplicity and flexibility
- Is practical and feasible
- Requires further development
- Faces obstacles to its implementation
And how the proposal will impact on:
- Driver health and wellbeing
- Driver safety
- Driver earnings
- Fatigue related incidents
- Ability for operators to recruit and retain heavy vehicle drivers
- Overall costs of heavy vehicle transport
Members interested in providing comment on the discussion paper should contact Greg Forbes at g.forbes@hvia.asn.au 0437923755
Subscribe to Talk the Torque Newsletter
HVIA’s Talk the Torque e-newsletter provides essential updates on government policy, industry developments, and events, making it a key resource for the heavy vehicle industry.