Queensland MP Mike Horan wants proposed truck rego rises reviewed, claiming they will jeopardise road safety
By Brad Gardner | May 19, 2010
The Bligh Government is being urged to review it support for higher truck registration fees after claims they could jeopardise road safety.
Along with all jurisdictions, Queensland agreed to increase fees by 4.2 percent from July 1 this year due to a 10.7 percent rise in government expenditure on the road network.
Toowoomba South MP Mike Horan says the increase will force trucking operators to stop using safe vehicle combinations such as B-doubles.
Annual registration costs for the combination will hit $15,340 – $4,000 more than a double road train and almost $2,000 more than a triple road train.
“It is well-known fact that B-doubles and B-triples, particularly in the area of livestock transport, are far safer on our roads than road trains,” Horan says.
“But if this reform is passed and massive increases in registration for B-doubles and B-triples occur, we are going to see people being forced to revert to using road trains. That will make our roads more dangerous, particularly roads such as the Warrego Highway.”
Horan says the cost of registering combinations such as B-doubles must be comparable to fees for other trailers or road trains if governments are serious about road safety.
“For safety’s sake, we need to address that issue,” he says.
Registration costs were due to rise without the percentage increase because of the final phase of a three-year plan to recoup money from the trucking industry for previous government expenditure.
The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) opposed the 4.2 percent increase, claiming the industry would be overcharged.