The ATA has today released its submission to the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal on its review of local government compliance and enforcement activity in NSW, outlining the effects of inconsistent local government decisions on the trucking industry.

About 20 per cent of all heavy vehicle travel takes place on local roads. However, in NSW alone there are more than 150 local governments, each making different decisions about heavy vehicle access in their area.

The submission outlines common local access productivity barriers, including misunderstandings about the effect of higher productivity trucks on road wear, the problems with increased road noise vs. road congestion, and the lack of due diligence in many local governments when it comes to assessing a heavy vehicle access application.

Eight recommendations are presented to improve the local government road access process, including a call for the presentation of objective evidence when a road access request is denied.

The submission also recommends that engineering assessment fees imposed on operators requesting local road access or use be limited to a reasonable amount.