Edition 40, November 2006

Heavy vehicle accreditation improves safety

The National Transport Commission has released a discussion paper to explore options for a new national heavy vehicle accreditation framework.

The commission's chief executive officer Nick Dimopoulos says that externally audited accreditation works.

'Operators who maintain and load their vehicles to national standards are safer. Our challenge now is to improve the system and deliver further road safety gains.'

Mr Dimopoulos says that as well as improving safety, accreditation benefits industry and government.

'In practice, accreditation can give vehicles maintained in a safe condition an exemption from time-consuming annual vehicle inspections. This then allows the government to focus enforcement activities on those who operate outside nationally accredited schemes.'

The paper outlines four options:

  1. a refinement of the current scheme
  2. a single national scheme involving amalgamation of the three major heavy vehicles accreditation schemes
  3. a modular framework allowing certified industry schemes to deliver nationally agreed standards
  4. a modified modular framework.

Stakeholder feedback will be used to develop a draft policy proposal and a draft regulation impact statement. Stakeholders will then have another opportunity to comment before a proposal is developed for consideration by the Australian Transport Council.

For more information contact the National Transport Commission on 03 9236 5000 or visit www.ntc.gov.au to download a copy of the discussion paper. (Select 'News' > 'Accreditation lifts safety bar'.)

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