Heavy vehicle industry committed to keeping supply chain moving

Australia’s heavy vehicle industry has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the freight industry through ongoing supply chain issues.

HVIA Chief Executive Todd Hacking was acknowledging National Cabinet’s agreement to include HVIA members in the extended list of essential workers subject to new arrangements for close contacts.

“The Federal, State and Territory Governments have continued to work closely with industry since the beginning of the pandemic,” Mr Hacking said.

“The community is well aware of the vital role of the transport, freight and logistics sectors in overcoming current supply chain issues, but probably doesn’t realise the depth of the support network that is required to keep it moving.

“It is pointless to give an exemption to a truck driver if his or her truck can’t be repaired, or critical parts aren’t available.

“New trucks and trailers are constantly being added to the fleet, both to expand its capacity and to add additional safety and productivity benefits.

“The freight task is made up of a complex collection of constantly moving parts, all of which are critical to ensuring the vehicle remains safe and productive.”

Yesterday National Cabinet addressed the importance of keeping critical sectors open with each state and territory agreeing to implement changes to their respective close contact arrangements.

The new arrangements require employers to undertake a risk assessment for each role with appropriate mitigation strategies employed.

“Our members are committed to protecting the health and well-being of their workers and we support the Government’s strategy to clearly define low and high-risk scenarios and to implement appropriate management in each case.

“The onus is still on each employer to take appropriate steps to ensure the health and safety of every employee and those that they likely to come into contact with while they are at work.

“We will continue to work with Government to ensure there is absolute clarity around testing arrangements that recognises the current difficulties in accessing rapid antigen tests.”

Follow the link for the Interim Guidance document released by the Prime Minister following yesterday’s National Cabinet meeting:

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