Final Report of the National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Working Group

Final report

Chair

Ms Carolyn Walsh – Consultant and Chair of the NTC

Report prepared by

Mr Peter Medlock - Consultant

Scope

In February 2019, the NHVR established a joint jurisdictional and heavy vehicle industry working group to respond to a comprehensive report into heavy vehicle accreditation schemes.

The Analysis of Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Schemes in Australia by respected consultant Peter Medlock provided a range of options for the future of heavy vehicle schemes.

The Medlock analysis made nine short, medium and long-term recommendations following a review of the National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme (NHVAS), TruckSafe, CraneSafe and Western Australian Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme (WAHVA).

The national working group included industry, government and NHVR representatives to map out options for a national accreditation framework to deliver more consistency for industry.

The working group supported in principle:

  • better alignment of current accreditation scheme requirements
  • working toward mutual recognition of scheme audits
  • encouraging existing schemes and operators to adopt a Safety Management System approach to manage their safety risks and as a potential standard for a future national framework
  • developing an assurance framework

Outcomes

The report presents an option for a framework for the governance and oversight of schemes, building on development of agreed standards.

The NHVR has worked closely with the National Transport Commission (NTC) to ensure that the outcomes of the working group were considered in the development of the vision presented in the HVNL 2.0 Guide, and options presented within the HVNL Review Consultation Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS), released by the NTC on 25 June.

The NHVR and working group participants recognise that dependencies exist on outcomes of the HVNL Review, in order to progress development and implementation of national frameworks and standards for assurance.  Participants of the working group will indicate their preferences for an accreditation model, through participation in the HVNL Review process.

In future steps, the NHVR will:

  • address and align further improvements in accreditation, to outcomes of the HVNL Review, where dependencies exist
  • continue to encourage and support the adoption of safety management systems as one of the most effective ways for heavy vehicle industry participants to manage risk and improve safety for all road users
  • separately progress options towards mutual recognition of NHVAS and WAHVA.

The report was finalised in June 2020 and published on 20 October 2020.