Friday Facts: Nov 27, 2020

News

27 Nov

Written By The ATA

PROPOSED TRUCK TAX INCREASE ‘OUTRAGEOUS!’

Increasing taxes on trucks would tax jobs, consumers and Australia’s economic recovery, ATA Acting CEO Bill McKinley said.

In response to an opinion piece by Australia Institute Chief Economist Richard Denniss, who proposed that instead of taxing electric cars, there should be increased taxes on trucks, Mr McKinley said the proposal to increase taxes on trucks was an outrage – and factually incorrect, too.

“The claim that heavy vehicles pay 12.5 per cent of the cost of road expenditure is factually incorrect. On average, it is actually around 22 per cent,” Mr McKinley said. [source, see page 8

“Trucks and buses make up less than 4 per cent of vehicles on our roads, compared to passenger cars which make up more than 74 per cent. This means the less than 4 per cent are paying 22 per cent of the cost of the road network.

“The trucking operators who pay these charges are not the powerful interests that Richard Denniss imagines. They are typically small family businesses or owner drivers who work on tight margins," he said.

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CONVERTER DOLLY TECHNICAL BULLETIN RELEASED

The ATA has this week released a new technical bulletin, outlining the specification guidelines for rigid drawbar tandem axle converter dollies.

"In May 2018, the Australian Trucking Association’s (ATA) Industry Technical Council embarked on an exciting engineering ‘proof of concept’ project, exploring further development of a rigid drawbar convertor dolly," ATA Chief Engineer Bob Woodward said.

"The project was the result of member discussions regarding the dynamic issues with hinged drawbar convertor dollies, especially brake re-activity and tyre wear and other experiences with air suspension dollies.

"Consequently, there has been some trending by operators to mechanical suspensions where braking re-activity seems to be less obvious but does not eliminate nor solve the issues.”

The technical bulletin details the specifications of the project dolly, including fifth wheel positioning, axle group spacing, drawbar length, and suspension and coupling requirements.

VIEW THE TECHNICAL BULLETIN

TASMANIA LAUNCHES IMPROVED REST AREA STRATEGY

The Tasmanian Government has launched a new strategy that will improve rest area facilities for truck drivers on the state's key freight routes.

Developed in consultation with the Tasmanian Transport Association, the strategy identifies priorities for the upgrade of exisiting infrastructure and the establishment of new facilities.

“This announcement by the Tasmanian Government is an acknowledgement of the need for better rest area facilities for heavy vehicle drivers in Tasmania and comes on the back of significant work undertaken by the TTA and our Rest Areas Reference Group," Chair of the TTA John De Bruyn said.

"The safety of truck drivers is critical. They are essential workers who have supported Tasmanians and Tasmanian businesses throughout COVID-19. We welcome the commitment made by the Minister Hon Michael Ferguson to the design and development of sites that are safe for drivers to use to for rest, to maintain their legal fatigue management responsibilities, and to check the safety of their vehicle and load."

A total of $5 million has been committed from the Tasmanian and Australian governments to implement the strategy, with the first five rest areas already in the design stage and construction on the first expected to start in the first half of 2021.

Concept designs for a further 14 sites are expected to be completed by mid-next year with another 18 sites identified for inclusion in future road infrastructure projects.

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IN OTHER NEWS:

**2020 Craig Rosender Award winner, Dennis Roohan and ITC Converter Dolly**

Dennis Roohan and the ITC Converter Dolly Project supply partners (MaxiTRANS, Jost, WABCO, Alcoa, Bridgestone and Hendrickson) have been recognised for industry technical and maintenance excellence this week, at the 2020 Castrol Vecton Industry Awards. Read more

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The National Road Safety Partnership Program (NRSPP) will be holding a webinar on 3 December - Adapting UK’s Construction Logistics and Community Safety (CLOCS) Initiative to Australia. CLOCS is an industry-led programme, sponsored by Transport for London (TfL), with the aim of fundamentally changing the way the construction industry manages road safety. The session will explore major infrastructure projects underway in Australia and the opportunity to adapt CLOCS to reduce associated risks, with a focus on vulnerable road users, and improve efficiency. Presenters include TfL, Sydney Metro, Hanson and Amy Gillett Foundation. More details here.

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Following strong efforts from the Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association, new National Operational Advice from the NHVR will remove the requirement to include registration numbers from Class 3 Livestock Vehicle permits. Read more

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The Australian Government has announced that it will introduce a new alternative test for temporary full expensing. To satisfy the new test, companies must have less than $5 billion in total statutory and ordinary income (excluding non-assessable non-exempt income) in either the 2018-19 or 2019-20 income year, and have invested more than $100 million in tangible depreciating assets in the period 2016-17 to 2018-19.

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The Tasmanian Transport Association has released a series of reports on projects they have been involved with over the past 12 months, including rest area research, workforce plan, and chain of responsibility.

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Infrastructure and Transport Ministers have released the first annual progress report for the National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy. The report highlights Australia’s freight network performance over the last 12 months including insights gained during the COVID-19 pandemic and progress against over 350 initiatives across the country, as well as a statement encouraging industry and governments to leverage best practice examples identified in the report.

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Australian heavy vehicle safety programs will receive another significant boost with the launch of Round 6 of the NHVR's Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative. Find out how you can apply, with applications open until 12 February 2021. Learn how to apply

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