Tasmania, ACT and South Australia have implemented new inspection standards.
Australian jurisdictions have moved closer to consistent heavy vehicle inspection standards, with Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and South Australia all adopting the same standards.
All three jurisdictions have now implemented the second version of the National Heavy Vehicle Inspection Manual, which lays out a national set of standards and criteria for inspecting heavy vehicles.
The document is due to be introduced by July 1 this year in all jurisdictions that have enacted the Heavy Vehicle National Law. Only Western Australia and the Northern Territory have not enacted the law.
The manual is the work of the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR), which developed it in consultation with the trucking industry.
“The manual provides authorised officers, vehicle examiners and operators a consistent set of criteria when conducting heavy vehicle inspections, ensuring a national approach to the management of vehicle safety,” NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto says.
“With a single set of national inspection criteria, we can work with operators to introduce a proactive approach to roadworthiness that includes preventative maintenance enhancing the safety of their vehicles.”
Petroccitto says the NHVR has started working with the trucking industry on the development of tools to help businesses implement the manual into their maintenance programs.
The manual is the first component of the National Heavy Vehicle Roadworthiness Program, which aims to encourage trucking operators to adopt preventative maintenance measures to improve the safety of their fleet.
The program includes the development of clear national inspection standards, agreed qualifications and equipment for those performing inspections and a consistent approach to management of heavy vehicle defects across borders.
Tasmania adopted the first National Inspection Manual in 2006, which was used as the basis for the new document.
“This means that as well as delivering the safety and efficiency benefits of the national system, the transition to the national manual will be fairly straightforward and involve little change for operators or for our heavy vehicle inspection stations,” Tasmanian infrastructure minister Rene Hidding says.
“The Department of State Growth continues to work closely with industry and the NHVR to support operators to transition to the national arrangements.”
Click here for more information about the second Heavy Vehicle Inspection Manual.