The National Transport Commission (NTC) today welcomed the commencement of new heavy vehicle driver fatigue laws in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

The reform targets the root cause of driver fatigue, rather than simply regulating hours, and makes all parties in the supply chain legally responsible for preventing driver fatigue.

NTC Chief Executive Nick Dimopoulos praised the efforts of industry, unions and governments in preparing for the new laws.

“Australia’s Transport Ministers showed strong leadership in approving this reform, which will deliver significant safety benefits for heavy vehicle drivers and the community,” he said.

“Our professional truck and bus drivers will be healthier, better rested and trained in managing fatigue risks, meaning the risk of heavy vehicle crashes is greatly reduced.

“Industry and unions have thrown their support behind the new laws. Their proactive approach to the development of this national reform has been crucial in ensuring we got it right.”

Mr Dimopoulos said states and territories had done a good job in communicating the reform to industry through road shows and forums and coordinating implementation on a common date.

“NTC commends all those involved who have made this national reform a reality,” he said.

NTC developed an implementation kit for use by governments and industry containing information, compliance tools, a DVD (led by the South Australian Government) and checklists to help all parties in the supply chain transition smoothly to the new laws.

“The transport industry is the backbone of the nation. If we’re going to service the growing freight task safely, we’ve got to take the health and wellbeing of our drivers seriously,” said Mr Dimopoulos.

“The national heavy vehicle fatigue reform will go a long way towards achieving this.”

• NTC resources are available at the following link: Implementation Kit
• State road agencies have also developed their own resources, which can be accessed via the links below:

Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure - South Australia