TRUCKING INDUSTRY * Australia - ATA identifies 245 issues with proposed truck laws

(Picture from ritemail.blogspot: Australia NTFS' road train)

Canberra,ACT,Australia -Australian Trucking Association/Logistics Magazine -25 May 2011: -- The National Transport Commission (NTC) needs to undertake a clause by clause rework of the draft national truck laws, the Chairman of the Australian Trucking Association (ATA), David Simon, has said...  The new truck laws, first proposed in 2009, will see a single national truck regulator introduced in 2013...  Simon said that while the proposed law offered obvious benefits to the trucking industry, there were still flaws...  According to Simon, ATA’s policy and legal teams have so far identified 245 issues with the draft law that need to be resolved...  Simon has urged ministers to consider a number of policy issues further, including:

* The NTC recommendation not to allow external review of access decisions by road managers;

* The recommendation not to provide operators in TruckSafe with the same regulatory benefits as operators in NHVAS, even though TruckSafe delivers comparable or better safety outcomes;

* The inconsistent approach in the draft to chain of responsibility and the need for the national regulator to be responsible for significant CoR investigations; and

* The need for the national regulator to have oversight of enforcement agencies.