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The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has congratulated the Morrison Government on being returned during the recent Federal Election.

NHVR Chair Duncan Gay said he looked forward to continuing the strong cooperation between the NHVR and the Federal Government.

“The NHVR had a constructive working relationship with the Federal Government over the past term,” Mr Gay said.

“We look forward to continuing this relationship as we work toward increasing heavy vehicle safety and productivity.

The NHVR has welcomed the response from heavy vehicle drivers who continue to meet fatigue laws, following a recent national operation.

NHVR Chief Operations Officer Paul Salvati said the national operation Wake Up, held during April, inspected more than 4400 vehicles across 105 locations in all states and territories, except Northern Territory.

“Of the fatigue-related vehicles there were 3272 compliant drivers, which was 93 per cent – a similar level to the national operations conducted last year,” Mr Salvati said.

One in five relevant new heavy vehicles manufactured in Australia are now PBS approved, according to the second annual report into Australia’s PBS scheme released today.

National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) CEO Sal Petroccitto said the joint report by the Australian Road Transport Suppliers Association (ARTSA) and the NHVR demonstrated the success of Australia’s world-leading PBS scheme.

Heavy vehicle operators will have access to 1500 additional routes when planning a journey, with extra functionality added to the mapping system on the NHVR Portal.

NHVR Chairman Duncan Gay told today’s 2019 NatRoad Conference that a growing number of National Notices and access to pre-approved routes were improving heavy vehicle access across Australia.

“I want to continue to grow the number of ways we allow more efficient and safe access to the network and reduce the time it takes to receive an access permit,” Mr Gay said.

A new National Class 1 Agricultural Vehicle and Combination Notice is in place across large parts of regional Australia, removing the need to apply for permits to move many agricultural combinations on public roads.

NHVR Executive Director Freight and Supply Chain Productivity Peter Caprioli said almost two-thirds of local government areas had now agreed to the Notice, which simplified the movement of large agricultural equipment and provided clearer guidelines for primary producers.

The NHVR will meet heavy vehicle operators as part of a ground-breaking study into fatigue monitoring technology.

NHVR Fatigue Specialist Andreas Blahous said a research team was seeking expressions of interest from transport companies and manufacturers to take part in the independently-run safety project.

“We’ve asked independent research specialists to look at ways the NHVR can encourage the broader use of the different fatigue and distraction detection technology operators are already using,” Mr Blahous said.

Overtaking, road positioning and stopping distances are some of the key issues addressed in a new series of videos educating light vehicle drivers how to behave around trucks.

NHVR Corporate Affairs Executive Director Joe Fitzgerald said the video series by Whiteline Television was based on key themes highlighted by truck drivers asked to identify the most common safety issues they encountered while working on the road.

ACT roads will be safer with the roll out of new heavy vehicle monitoring cameras on both sides of the Federal Highway near the NSW border.

“These cameras will help to ensure drivers of heavy vehicles comply with load limit regulations and avoid deadly driver fatigue,” Minister for Roads, Chris Steel said.

“In conjunction with the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR), these cameras will integrate with others placed at key points across the nation to help ensure safety is maintained for all road users.

Heavy vehicle access across Australia will receive a boost following an $8 million allocation to carry out structural assessment of vital local government bridges, roads and culverts.

NHVR Chair Duncan Gay said the funding provided in tonight’s Federal Budget would allow the NHVR and local road managers to properly assess the integrity of many local government road assets.

“This assessment is vital to allow road managers to open up new heavy vehicle networks and boost local economies by ensuring freight is moved efficiently,” Mr Gay said.

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has welcomed the appointment of Minister Paul Toole and Minister Andrew Constance to key NSW roads and transport portfolios.

NHVR Chair Duncan Gay said the Regulator looked forward to continuing to work closely with the re-elected Berejiklian Government on a wide range of heavy vehicle reforms.

“The NHVR has had a constructive working relationship with Roads and Maritime Services and I’m committed to continuing this relationship under the new teams,” Mr Gay said.

The NHVR will release a Discussion Paper as part of a broader Fatigue Safety Strategy to support a push by many in the heavy vehicle industry to reform fatigue laws.

NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto told the Victorian Transport Association (VTA) Annual Conference today, that many operators were keen to make fatigue reform a major focus of the current review of the Heavy Vehicle National Law.

Operators can save up to 15 minutes per vehicle with access to real time registration information through the NHVR Portal – Registration Module and meet industry requests for additional Chain of Responsibility support.

NHVR Program Manager Tammy Wigg said new portal functions would allow businesses across the supply chain access to real time fleet information, including a vehicle’s current registration status and configuration.

Improved data and a national classification system are two of the options being explored in an independent discussion paper into the performance of tyres used on the Performance Based Standards (PBS) fleet.

NHVR Chief Engineer Les Bruzsa today released the Review of Tyre Management Practices in the Australian PBS System by road safety expert John de Pont for industry feedback.

“With almost one-in-five new heavy vehicles approved under the PBS scheme, we want to take a best-practice approach to the management of tyres on the PBS fleet,” Mr Bruzsa said.

A consortium including Central Queensland University’s Appleton Institute and HGH Consulting has been awarded an NHVR contract to conduct a study of fatigue monitoring technology.

NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto told today’s Australian Logistics Council Forum 2019 that the trial would identify how best to provide recognition and support to the growing number of businesses using fatigue monitoring technology in addition to work diaries.

Local councils are urged to get on board with a shake-up for the movement of agricultural machinery across the road network, which will be a game-changer for the nation's farm businesses.

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) is seeking agreement from councils and road managers on the new draft National Class 1 Agricultural Vehicle and Combination Notice.

Complaints about fatigue are the most common calls to the NHVR’s Heavy Vehicle Confidential Reporting Line.

NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto said the reporting line, which has been live since July last year, was answering around 115 calls a month, and responding to over 65 reports of non-compliance nationwide every month.

“The Heavy Vehicle Confidential Reporting Line enables drivers and parties in the heavy vehicle supply chain to pass on information about possible breaches of the Heavy Vehicle National Law,” Mr Petroccitto said.

The NHVR has urged operators travelling west to be aware of different accreditation requirements, following a three-day operation on the SA-WA border.

NHVR Operations Manager Paul Simionato said that the multi-agency Operation Long Run, led by WA Main Roads, found 91 per cent compliance with the Heavy Vehicle National Law.

“Overall the results showed that safety was a priority in the industry with only 43 offences out of 481 units across 177 heavy vehicles detected with safety-related issues,” Mr Simionato said.

The NHVR will address inconsistency for livestock and grain harvest management schemes as part of the next round of heavy vehicle industry harmonisation projects.

NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto told today’s Livestock, Bulk and Rural Carriers NSW Annual Conference that work on bringing national standards for both industries would begin later this year.