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More than 30 decision-makers from Australia's road transport agencies, police services and the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) have gathered in Brisbane today to set national priorities for heavy vehicle road safety to benefit all road users.
NHVR Chief Executive, Sal Petroccitto, said that with 95% of Australia's road freight vehicles now governed by one Heavy Vehicle National Law, the time is right to develop a national approach to heavy vehicle compliance and road safety.
"That's why I have called on the combined resources and intelligence of all of Australia’s police services and road transport agencies, including Western Australia and Northern Territory, to form the National Compliance and Enforcement Operations Forum," he said.
"Today's gathering is the first step towards developing a truly national approach to heavy vehicle safety and compliance.
"A national approach means sharing what we know across agencies and across borders to better target enforcement operations," said Mr Petroccitto.
"It means taking the best in safety and compliance systems and practice from one state and rolling it out across other jurisdictions. It also means best value spend for the safety and compliance dollar, which adds up to a significant public investment across the country.
"While we are talking with road transport authorities and police services today, there's definitely a place at this table for industry," said Mr Petroccitto.
Australian Trucking Association (ATA) Chief Executive, Chris Melham, commended the NHVR and members of the new national group, saying industry has been calling for a national approach for years.
"Improving national safety and compliance outcomes is a shared responsibility across government and industry," he said, "and I look forward to working with forum members to get that balance of responsibilities right."