NatRoad renews calls for driver offence notification to be harmonised
The National Road Transport Association (NatRoad) says it has renewed its request to the National Transport Commission to keep notification to transport operators of their drivers’ offences on the reform agenda.
NatRoad CEO Warren Clark says it’s vital that state and territory laws be made simpler and uniform. Something as basic as NatRoad members getting notified of offences that have been committed while drivers are driving their vehicles must be part of the reform agenda.
“We are currently back in the thick of the review of the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL). There will be strengthened duties for drivers to be fit for work, which must include them having a valid licence,” Clark says.
“Operators need to know if their drivers have few or no points to ensure that they are legally capable of driving a heavy vehicle.
“It’s as simple as operators have a responsibility to prevent or minimise potential injury, danger or loss by ensuring their transport activities are safe. That means being told where a driver might have breached the road rules so that the possibility of the driver driving whilst unlicensed is eliminated.
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“The NatRoad concern is that within any enhanced driver fitness for work regime, operators will be required to have detailed information about offences and driver licence status,” Clark points out.
“NatRoad members find it difficult to obtain data about offences and other licensing details from employees and subcontractors, even where sometimes there are employment contract conditions directed at this information gap.”
Clark says NatRoad is concerned that there is no uniformity in Australian law for operators to securely access driver records and on-road breaches of their drivers.
“In a new HVNL regime these laws should either be incorporated on a uniform basis as underpinning the new HVNL or states and territories should commit to uniformity as part of the reform process.”