Funding has been announced for 16 industry-led projects in round nine of the Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative (HVSI), jointly funded by the Federal Government and National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR).
The projects, which aim to reduce road trauma and save lives on Australia’s roads, have received a combined $3.9 million. They include:
- Deakin University’s ‘Truckwise Roadshow’, which aims to increase awareness of safety practises when working with heavy vehicles through the use of virtual reality.
- St John Ambulance’s ‘Defibs in Trucks Program’, which will equip 50 heavy vehicles with high-quality Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) and provide First Aid training to drivers to reduce deaths in regional, rural, and remote communities.
- GM Cartage and Contracting’s ‘Accelerating Ambitions Program’, which aims to increase awareness among young drivers of career opportunities within the trucking industry and provide innovative solutions to increase diversity in the industry.
- National Bulk Tanker Association’s project to provide a low-cost method for monitoring and reporting tyre pressure and temperature data and increase industry wide understanding of importance of monitoring.
- National Transport Research Organisation’s project to develop a toolkit to increase industry awareness and preparedness for electric vehicle fires.
The new initiatives are set to provide tangible improvements for the transport and logistics sector, supporting productivity, and making the road network safer by developing much-needed training, educational campaigns and innovative new technologies.
The Australian Government has invested more than $41 million across 169 HVSI projects since the program commenced in 2016. A list of successful applicants and more information about the HVSI is available here.
Assistant Minister for Regional Development, Anthony Chisholm, says the trucking industry is “the backbone of our nation’s economy and that’s why our government is continuing to invest in road safety programs that will keep truckies safe and keep Australia’s economy moving”.
“These 16 successful projects provide solutions to challenges that we’re currently seeing throughout the industry, such as removing barriers for young people entering the sector, increasing awareness of how to drive safely around heavy vehicles and boosting safety within the industry itself,” he says.
NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto says the regulator looks forward to continuing to engage with safety-focused groups “towards a shared goal of safer roads for all – and utilise their extensive knowledge and existing work to deliver future improvements to heavy vehicle safety”.
“There is still plenty of work to do to reduce road trauma in Australia, which is why I am looking forward to seeing these 16 new initiatives get underway, and the positive impact they are sure to have on heavy vehicle safety right across the country,” he adds.