Fatigue issues hamstring operators

Fatigue issues hamstring operators

Inconsistent fatigue rules introduced in a mish-mash of forms and then delayed because neither the authorities or the operators had been correctly informed or prepared are causing consternation in the transport industry.

In principle, the laws and the changes they were intended to implement would have been acceptable to the industry. Operators could choose between three levels of compliance and get real productivity gains from strict adherence to complex acredditation and com pliance procedures.

The ability of the individual states to amend the legislation state by state introduces further complexity into the equation. National operators have to deal with up to four different scenarios in Victoria, NSW, Queensland and South Australia and set up compliance for each.

as the deadline approached in September 2008 the industry discovered a total lack of preparedness in the regulators camp with drivers unable to get access to the new work diaries due to replace the current log books.

At the eleventh hour implementation was delayed to allow time for everyone to catch up but again the delays are of differing lengths and the industry remains confused.

“It’s clearly evident from the criticism these laws have attracted, that greater dialogue and consultation between the states, transport operators and industry groups was needed prior to implementation,” said Isuzu Director Phil Taylor this week.

“Unfortunately, trucking operators are dealing with a new set of laws, which exhibit inconsistency from state to state; accordingly some clemency and more time should have been given to allow operators to adjust to the requirements under the laws.

“The government should have given the industry and operators at least 12 months to ready themselves for the new reforms rather than just announcing a compliance date. Owner operators and fleets are facing some complex issues across many areas of operation to comply with the new requirements at short notice.”