Media releases

The NHVR is urging all road users to give agricultural vehicles extra space on the road ahead of this year’s planting and harvest season.

The call comes during National Farm Safety Week (18-24 July), which is dedicated to raising awareness of farm safety issues in rural communities across Australia.

NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto said the recent increase in Australians moving to regional communities in the past year meant more traffic for agricultural vehicle drivers to safely navigate during the up-coming harvest.

A joint report from the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR), Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport Australia (CILTA) and the National Truck Accident Research Centre (NTARC) has revealed Performance Based Standards (PBS) vehicles are involved in 60 per cent fewer major crashes than conventional vehicles.

This is a significant improvement over the results in a 2018 report which found 46 per cent fewer major crashes compared to the conventional fleet.^[1] PBS vehicles are also forecast to save 143 lives over 20 years.

The NHVR has urged heavy vehicle drivers to take extra care when using Adelaide’s South Eastern Freeway ahead of tomorrow’s Fatality Free Friday.

NHVR Chief Operations Officer Paul Salvati said the NHVR had investigated operators involved in two incidents on the downhill stretch of road over the past week.

“This stretch of road includes a long descent into Adelaide where heavy vehicle drivers need to be mindful of their own road safety and that of others particularly when carrying heavy loads,” Mr Salvati said.

An exciting new online safety hub has been unveiled by Australia’s leading transport and logistics specialist insurer, NTI, to support the growth and development of the industry.

The Better Business Hub helps protect Aussie fleet, transport operators and drivers by providing interactive, downloadable, applicable tools and resources to support them in their day-to-day.

The NHVR has welcomed the appointment experienced transport operator and General Manager of All Purpose Transport Paul Kahlert as president of the Queensland Trucking Association (QTA).

NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto said Mr Kahlert's appointment would continue the strong leadership that the QTA board provided heavy vehicle operators.

"Paul has represented QTA as Vice President and will continue to lead a board that is a passionate advocate for heavy vehicle operators across Queensland," Mr Petroccitto said.

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) is urging heavy vehicle operators to use their Daily Safety Checklist, ahead of the second major health check of Australia’s heavy vehicle fleet.

Deputy Prime Minister and Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Minister Michael McCormack said heavy vehicle operators should take a few minutes before each trip to check basic safety items on their vehicle.

“A quick visual inspection can identify any issues and give you peace of mind that the vehicle is safe and ready for the journey,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.

A new report from Australia’s largest trucking insurer and the industry regulator has confirmed operators who effectively maintain their vehicles are less likely to be involved in an incident.

For the first time, the trucking industry regulator and leading insurer have shared de-identified critical road crash data, with the aim of improving road safety.

The NHVR has welcomed the appointment of well-known trucking safety advocate Rod Hannifey as president of the National Road Freighters Association (NRFA).

NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto said Mr Hannifey’s appointment would ensure smaller operators continue to have a strong voice when it comes to heavy vehicle safety reform.

“Rod has shown he’s willing to tackle just about any issue that leads to a safer outcome for heavy vehicle drivers and it’s often a practical solution that’s born out of decades of experience,” Mr Petroccitto said.

Some states and territories have travel restrictions in place over the Easter holiday period for agricultural, oversize/overmass and special purpose heavy vehicles.

The information below outlines the most common Easter restrictions, however this list is not exhaustive and we recommend operators check their permits and relevant notices to confirm what restrictions are applicable and check with the relevant state and territory road transport authorities.