NHVR Grounds Fleet, Files Charges on two others

News

13 Nov

NHVR grounds fleet due to safety concerns

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has today issued a prohibition notice to Melbourne-based Sidhu Investments (QLD) Pty Ltd*, trading as Auswide Linehaul Services, following an investigation by the NHVR into safety standards.

NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto said that the notice would ground the company’s entire fleet.

“Our number one priority is safety – for drivers and for other road users – and getting these vehicles off the road is the only way to respond to this serious safety risk,” Mr Petroccitto said.

“The NHVR will not hesitate to ground fleets that put their employees and the broader community in danger.”

The notice, issued under s 576A of the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL), orders the company to cease operating until it has implemented controls in fatigue management and training, fitness for duty, non-conformance management, incident management, vehicle safety and due diligence.

This course of action comes following a number of incidents involving the company in recent months. These include a vehicle rollover on 1 November 2020 and a near-miss head-on collision between two heavy vehicles on 17 September 2020.

NHVR officers entered the company’s premises in September 2020 as part of an ongoing safety standards investigation into a number of companies. The NHVR is in the advanced stages of investigations of other companies with similar safety concerns.

NHVR files charges on two companies in relation to 2018 crash

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has filed charges in Coffs Harbour Local Court following an investigation into an incident in Tanah Merah, Qld in November 2018.

Two linked companies based in Brisbane, with a depot in Boambee, NSW, have each been charged with two Category 1 safety duties offences and one Category 2 safety duties offence under the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL).

NHVR Executive Director Ray Hassall said that the charges were a result of an extensive and complex investigation and carry significant penalties.

“This was a tragic incident in which somebody lost their life,” Mr Hassall said.

The fatal accident involved a heavy vehicle which crashed over an overpass, triggering the investigation conducted by the NHVR.

Category 1 offences carry a maximum penalty of $3,364,540 for a corporation

Category 2 offences carry a maximum penalty of $1,682,260 for a corporation.

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