– By Rob Wilson –
As fleet managers we often find ourselves right in the middle of compliance and enforcement (C&E) issues. Workplace Health and Safety, Chain of Responsibility, Environment and so on can all contribute to the occasional sleepless night.
Given some high profile heavy vehicle incidents over recent years it is not surprising that heavy vehicle safety is getting increased attention from State and Federal regulators. Currently there is no standard approach to maintenance across Australia – for example, roadworthiness requirements vary across jurisdictions from annual mandatory inspections to inspections at change of ownership. But all this could change in the future.
The National Transport Commission (NTC) and National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) are currently working on a program to identify the most effective way to use accreditation, inspections and other mechanisms to improve the roadworthiness of heavy vehicles on Australian roads. The outcomes of this review may well affect how fleet managers plan, undertake and document their heavy vehicle maintenance in the future.
A Heavy Vehicle Roadworthiness Program Consultation Regulatory Impact Statement was released in January 2015 and discusses four options packages for reform ranging from the current arrangements to various amalgams of inspection, education, information, accreditation and the inclusion of duties under Chain of Responsibility. The period for comment closed in March and NTC are intending to brief relevant Ministers on final recommendations in July 2015.
The NHVR already provide guidance on maintenance for those involved in the accreditation scheme. Their Maintenance Management Accreditation Guide is designed to provide a systematic approach to heavy vehicle maintenance including inspections, fault reporting and recording, fault repair, scheduled maintenance, records, responsibilities, training and review. The guide may provide some insight into where maintenance obligations for heavy fleet operators are heading in the future.
For some fleet managers structured maintenance management systems may not be vastly different from what they are doing now, however for others, mandated management systems will mean a significant step change. We’ll watch the outcomes of the NTC / NHVR recommendations with great interest.
