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The owner of a South Australian transport company has been prosecuted by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) for possessing speed limiter tampering equipment.

South Australia Police (SAPOL) Heavy Vehicle Investigation Section conducted an investigation at the company’s Mid-North premises in August 2020 and located a laptop installed with tampering software, as well as connecting plugs.

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.

The NHVR is partnering with the Queensland peak body for public works engineers to help deliver the Strategic Local Government Asset Assessment Project (SLGAAP).

The Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia Queensland (IPWEAQ) is providing invaluable support to the project, including helping to develop the Asset Assessment Framework.

SLGAAP is a Commonwealth-funded initiative to help local councils undertake heavy vehicle assessments on their own on-road assets, such as bridges and culverts.

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A safety blunder detected by NHVR officers in Victoria has become a social media sensation.

More than two million people have viewed the NHVR’s Facebook post on the inadequate load restraint that was used to transport an excavator weighing more than 20 tonnes.

The excavator had been ‘secured’ by just four straps, when it should have been directly chained to the trailer.

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has charged a South Australian company with a primary duty offence for allegedly remapping the engines of heavy vehicles.

The charges stem from a South Australia Police operation in June 2020.

The NHVR will argue that the checks conducted during the operation indicate the vehicle was not using Adblue, suggesting its emissions control system had been tampered with. Examinations were conducted on other heavy vehicles registered to the company which form the basis of additional charges.

The NHVR has begun extensive testing on a range of tyres used on Performance Based Standards combinations following recommendations by road safety expert Dr John de Pont in his Review of Tyre Management Practices in the Australian PBS System.

NHVR Chief Engineer Les Bruzsa said the NHVR was working with the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) to undertake tyre testing needed to progress Dr de Pont’s findings.

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) and Queensland Police Service (QPS) last week entered the premises of a Sunshine Coast based transport company to investigate the company’s compliance with the Heavy Vehicle National Law.

NHVR and QPS identified evidence of engine remapping, which meant emissions controls and speed limiting systems were not operating in accordance with the Australian Design Rules.

Defect notices were issued for the relevant vehicles and a direction has been given to the operator to remedy the issues while investigations are ongoing.

Primary duties offences have been laid against a South Australian manufacturing company and its executive following an incident in February 2019.

The company has been charged with category 1, 2 and 3 offences under the Heavy Vehicle National Law while the executive has been charged with failure comply with a duty.

The charges stem from the incorrect restraint of a load on a trailer by someone who had not been adequately trained in load restraint nor had any relevant experience restraining loads on heavy vehicles.

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has opened consultation on the implementation of amendments to the PBS Directional Stability Under Braking (DSUB) Standard.

NHVR Chief Engineer Les Bruzsa said the amendments would increase the requirement for newly built or newly approved PBS vehicle units to be fitted with the latest safety technologies and remove the option for Load Proportioning Brake Systems from the deemed to comply provision.

To coincide with the upcoming launch of their new truck driver health program, the OzHelp Foundation (OzHelp) has published a paper which draws on national and international research findings into the poor health outcomes of heavy vehicle drivers.

OzHelp – a national suicide prevention organisation – has been funded through the Commonwealth Government’s Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative (HVSI), administered by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) to develop a health and wellbeing program for owner driver truck drivers.

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has opened consultation on the implementation of amendments to the PBS Directional Stability Under Braking (DSUB) Standard.

NHVR Chief Engineer Les Bruzsa said the amendments would increase the requirement for newly built or newly approved PBS vehicle units to be fitted with the latest safety technologies and remove the option for Load Proportioning Brake Systems from the deemed to comply provision.