The National Transport Commission has proposed that the charges paid by trucking operators should increase 2.5 per cent from 1 July 2013.
In its submission, the ATA instead recommends that the road user charge and registration charges should increase by 2.25 per cent – the forecast inflation rate.
This submission discusses the heavy vehicle charges included under the PayGo system, and calls for national consistency in road access pricing. It also includes a series of recommendations for creating a fair and transparent road pricing system, such as including all road users in the PayGo model.
In Linfox Australia Pty Ltd v Commissioner of Taxation, the Administrative Appeals Tribunal ruled that the fuel used in the refrigeration units of refrigerated trailers is not subject to the 25.5 cents per litre road user charge.
This submission proposes changes to the ATO’s fuel tax ruling (FTR 2008/1) as well as changes to the guidance on record keeping and substantiation in the ATO’s fuel tax credits guide and internal administrative documents. It argues that one of the implications of Linfox is that the fuel used in sleeper cab air conditioners should not be subject to the road user charge. This would enable trucking operators to claim up to $300 in additional fuel tax credits per truck per year.
The ATA has called for the development of a better, objective test for sleep apnoea in a submission sent to NTC acting CEO George Konstandakos.
The submission calls for the development of an objective sleep apnoea test to be included in the NTC’s 3 year work plan as part of the driver fitness for duty standards.
The ATA has called for the NTC to prioritise safety benefits over enforcement opportunities in this submission on Co-operative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS).
C-ITS refers to systems that enable communication between vehicles and infrastructure to improve road safety, traffic management or driver decision-making.
The ATA has expressed its support for the National Heavy Vehicle Law amendment bill, based on the commitments in the NHVR Forward Work Program.
The ATA supports a strong, but fair, approach to the chain of responsibility and executive liability provisions. It also supports the idea of the current penalty provisions being reviewed in the future so that more minor offence penalties are in line with deterrence theories.
The existing ADR 80/03 emissions standard should be maintained and the proposed ADR 80/04 made optional, the ATA has said in its submission to the Department of Infrastructure and Transport.
The submission is in response to the Departments review of Emission Standards for Heavy Vehicles Discussion paper, which is debating the merits of moving to the new Euro VI and equivalent standards.
This submission was prepared by the ATA to suggest improvements to the National Transport Commission’s work diary review.
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.
The submission makes 8 recommendations to improve the local government road access process, and outlines common productivity barriers in this area.
The NSW Draft Master Plan recognises the constraints the heavy vehicle industry is operating under in NSW, and observes that if radical action is not taken to increase the productivity capacity of the heavy vehicle industry in NSW the effect will be detrimental to the economy.
The ATA has put forward the following submission with recommendations to most effectively address the issues highlighted in the Master Plan.