The ATA has called for government to address a severe lack of accountability and the need for clear road safety targets in the proposed new road safety strategy.
In its submission to the draft 2021-2030 National Road Safety Strategy, the ATA welcomes the proposed targets, but recommends that the strategy, or at least its first action plan, should include five year as well as 10 year targets to focus attention on the need to act now.
The Australian Government should implement a temporary zero emission truck purchase incentive, to ensure low and zero emission transport technologies are to become a reality.
The truck dimension rules must be changed to make zero and low emission trucks more available.
Australia’s governments should only increase truck road user and registration charges by 1.5 per cent in 2021-22, the ATA says.
The 2021-22 Federal Budget should invest in better roads, rest areas and bridges.
Significant reform is needed to fix the access problems which exist under the Heavy Vehicle National Law.
The Heavy Vehicle National Law should be changed to improve the Performance Based Standards scheme; some PBS vehicle designs should be available to all operators, the ATA submission on chapter 10 of the HVNL review RIS says.
Many provisions of the Heavy Vehicle National Law should be turned into regulations. The existing prescriptive penalties for truck drivers should be reset, the ATA submission on chapter 5 of the HVNL review RIS says.
The Heavy Vehicle National Law should be amended to deliver more consistent roadworthiness assessments and defect notices, the ATA submission on chapter 11 of the HVNL review RIS says.
The Heavy Vehicle National Law should include voluntary options to enable operators to move away from paper record keeping. Operators should be notified electronically about defect notices and have online access to safety-related driving infringements, the ATA submission to the NTC on chapter 6 of the HVNL review RIS says.