Achievements

2012

• Released detailed submissions, backed by comprehensive legal advice, calling for amendments to the draft National Heavy Vehicle Laws to: ensure that trucking business directors, executives, partners and the managers of unincorporated businesses are innocent of chain of responsibility offences until proven guilty; and ensure that serious offences under the national laws are prosecuted in court rather than through infringement notices.

• The NSW Government has acted on the ATA’s long-standing call to have all trucks found travelling at more than 115km/h on the flat grounded, because they must have a defective speed limiter.
• Following extensive lobbying by the ATA and its member associations, the Northern Territory and WA governments rejected the registration charge increase recommended by the NTC.
• The 2012 Federal Budget delivered an extra $140 million for truck rest areas and other productivity measures.
• Held a heavy vehicle demonstration day showcasing Australia’s unique modular combinations to international safety expert Don Osterberg from Schneider National.
• ATA Chief Executive Stuart St Clair presented at the CIMC World Forum in China, and was then asked back to present again at the 2012 TUC Logistics Summit in Shanghai later in the year.
• Provided trucking operators with information about the impact of the carbon tax on their businesses. Although truck fuel is exempt from the tax until 2014, trucking businesses are still affected from 2012 as their other suppliers raise their prices.

2011

• Won the fuel used by the trucking industry a two-year exemption from the Australian Government’s planned carbon tax until 1 July 2014. Other transport fuel users, including the rail industry, will be subject to the tax from 1 July 2012.
• Commissioned and published two major research reports, covering the environmental credentials of the trucking industry and the gaps in heavy vehicle safety research.
• Prepared detailed submissions, supported by legal advice, in response to the draft Heavy Vehicle National Law package released by the National Transport Commission in February 2011. The submissions and legal advice pointed out more than 245 issues with the draft, leading to the introduction of an amendment bill to fix these and other issues.
• Won Australian Government support for high productivity vehicles, with the release of the Government’s Draft National Land Freight Strategy.
• secured a better deal for trucking operators and employees affected by the 2011 floods and TC Yasi.
• The TruckSafe industry accreditation program was formally recognised by the Victorian Government as an industry code of practice under the state’s Road Safety act.
• In 2011, the Road Ahead exhibition trailer visited 29 schools, held 215 presentations and was seen by 11,030 people.

Previous years

The complete list of the ATA’s achievements is in the attachments.