Heavy vehicle Engineers escape red tape in Victoria

Confirmation today from the Victorian Government that heavy vehicle Prescriptive Standards such as the Australian Design Rules (ADRs) and the Vehicle Standards Bulletin (VSB6) are unlikely to require registration under the Victorian Engineers Registration Bill 2018 is a win for commonsense.

When the Bill was initially introduced into the Victorian Parliament earlier this year, the heavy vehicle industry was concerned it would be caught up in the new Act and the new state-based Registration Scheme would add costs to industry without any benefit to public safety.

HVIA has been actively lobbying the Victorian Government and members of the Victorian Parliament to ensure that the existing engineering standards would be recognised and the new scheme was therefore just duplication.

Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA) Chief Executive Todd Hacking says the six-month campaign has seen a win for commonsense.

“Our argument was that new vehicles were already regulated through the Motor Vehicle Standards Act’s ADRs and modifications were regulated through VSB6 and the National Heavy Vehicle Law – not to mention the subsequent registration schemes,” Mr Hacking said.

“We also stressed that differences in the rules between states have historically been problematic.

“Regulation of the heavy vehicle industry should happen at a national level and should be managed by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) and the Commonwealth Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities (DIRDC).

“Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer, Dr Daniel Mulino MP acknowledged our concerns when we met and has today written to HVIA to acknowledge that Prescriptive Standards under the Act are likely to encompass standards already prescribed under VSB6 or the Motor Vehicle Standards Act.”

Dr Mulino’s correspondence goes on to add “As Victoria’s Approved Vehicle Examiners (AVEs) for the NHVR, signatories to the Vehicle Assessment Signatory Scheme (VASS) and their employees who only work to prescriptive standards or under the supervision of a registered engineer will not be required to be registered.” 

“HVIA is appreciative of the role Mr Mulino has taken in listening to the arguments HVIA provided and helping to achieve this outcome” Mr Hacking added.

“This is a great example of how legislation and regulations can be improved when industry and Government work together to get the right outcome.

“We will continue to monitor progress of the Bill to ensure the right outcome eventuates, but today’s news will be strongly welcomed by engineers in the heavy vehicle industry,” Mr Hacking concluded.