TWU members are reminded that a national roadworthiness survey will randomly sample approximately 9,000 of Australia’s 520,000 heavy vehicles, including rigid, semi-trailer, B-doubles, road trains, buses, plant and equipment over the next two months.
National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) CEO Sal Petrocitto has warned that drivers and operators – especially those working within a supply chain – need to make contingency plans to accommodate potential delays during the National Roadworthiness Baseline Survey (NBRS) period.
Inspections will be conducted by Authorised Officers at roadside check points and in depots throughout Australia. Each vehicle will have a comprehensive visual inspection based on the updated National Heavy Vehicle Inspection Manual (NHVIM) and is expected to take on average 45 minutes; maybe less time for compliant vehicle combinations and maybe more for large combinations or non-compliant vehicles.
The results from the NRBS will assist the NHVR to understand the current condition of the Australian heavy vehicle fleet.
Currently different data is compiled by each state and territory which means that the condition of heavy vehicles nationally is unclear.
It’s a fundamental roadblock to understanding the safety of the fleet and to achieving national consistency. The snapshot compiled of the fleet’s condition will identify factors that increase the risk of incidents, assist to develop a national risk-based inspection approach and identify high-risk components, systems, vehicles or operators.
For further information, visit https://www.nhvr.gov.au/safety-accreditation-compliance/vehicle-standards-and-modifications/roadworthiness-program/national