Trucking industry will next month get to see what changes the NTC wants made to heavy vehicle charging framework
February 21, 2013
The trucking industry will find out within weeks what changes the National Transport Commission (NTC) wants made to the scheme governing heavy vehicle charges.
The NTC will release in March a draft review of the current charging system that will examine improvements that can be made to it.
Transport ministers last year tasked the NTC with assessing the performance of the current framework and the assumptions and methodologies used to set charges.
The NTC says a series of consultation forums in each state and territory will follow the release of the draft review. A final report with recommendations will be presented to transport ministers in May.
“The NTC, industry and government have been working together to identify issues and potential solutions,” NTC Project Director for Pricing Ramon Staheli says.
“We are absolutely committed to ensuring that we are transparent and inclusive throughout the review and determination.”
The NTC has also been asked to develop a new charging regime to replace the existing one made in 2007. Recommendations are due to be handed to transport ministers in time for new scheme to be implemented on July 1, 2014.
The industry has criticised the current system used to determine charges, claiming it lacks transparency and has led to instances of overcharging. Changes had to be made to it in 2010 because the formula failed to accurately reflect the growth in the use of B-doubles.
New heavy vehicle charges introduced on July 1 last year cut the registration price for A-trailers but increased fees for road trains significantly. An extra 2.4 cents was added to the fuel excise, taking it to 25.5 cents per litre.
