Australian Trucking Association (ATA)'s Contributions to the NRSPP & Points of Contact
- Program Partners
- Re:act Working Group
- Clocsa : Special Project - CLOCS-A
- Melissa WellerSafety and Skills AdviserCommencement Date: 27/11/2017Sector: Heavy vehicleshttp://www.truck.net.au/
Who is Australian Trucking Association (ATA)?
The ATA is the peak body that represents trucking operators. The ATA’s members include major logistics companies, transport industry associations and businesses with leading expertise in truck technology. One of the ATA’s most important roles is to advocate the interests of its members to the Australian Government, the Opposition, parliamentarians and government agencies.
What sector does your organisation operate within?
Industry Association – Transport and Logistics
What size is your fleet or the number of staff who generate your transport task?
There are 500,000 registered trucks in Australia and 41,097 trucking industry businesses that employ 260,000 industry employees.
The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) and the TruckSafe (business and risk management system), have a membership base that includes over 30 national, state and corporate organisations.
Describe your organisation and what road safety means to your it?
The ATA is a federated association representing the interest of national industry bodies, state industry bodies, corporate members and corporate sponsors.
The ATA was established to improve the trucking industry’s safety, professionalism and viability after the Grafton truck and bus crash in October 1989. The accident claimed 21 lives and was the worst accident in Australian road transport history at the time.
The ATA continues to lobbying for policy decisions that will genuinely improve safety, educate the industry about safe practices and technologies as well as the community about how to interact safely with trucks on the road.
The ATA runs two conferences each year Trucking Australia and our Technical and Maintenance Conference. Both these events are safety focused and provide the opportunity for the industry to form policy and strategic direction, encourage the use of safe technologies and promote safe business practices.
The ATA plays a leading role in road safety with initiatives such as the Volvo ATA Safety Truck and our TruckSafe safety management system. Through our growing media and communications presence we have a powerful and effective means of educating both the industry and importantly, the wider community about how to share the road with trucks.
The Volvo ATA Safety Truck, proudly fuelled by BP, protected by NTI, continues to be an effective way for the public to learn about road safety in and around trucks. In 2016, the Safety Truck had more than 36,000 people go through its doors. Currently under review by the ATA, the redesigned Safety Truck is due to be launched in 2018. Based on research and statistical analysis the Safety Truck’s new design will maximize the ability of this resource to influence driver behavior by increasing awareness of the basic physics of trucks and how this relates to sharing the road safely. Safety Truck messages will continue include information about blind spots, safe driving distances and road positioning.
TruckSafe is an industry led – business and risk management system that improves the safety and professionalism of trucking operators nationwide. TruckSafe members are required to meet five key standards to achieve accreditation. They are accredited through independent auditing, by qualified auditors and are bound by the TruckSafe Code of Conduct. TruckSafe is not just technically and mechanically focused but also considers and addresses human safety factors. These include driver health, training, fatigue and speed management.
Via its accreditation system and code of conduct, TruckSafe promotes responsible work practices, well maintained vehicles and healthy and well trained drivers and employees. The program contributes to road safety outcomes by addressing crash risk factors.
Improving the safety of the trucking industry is one of the ATA’s primary strategic goals. The ATA has a dedicated Safety Committee and TruckSafe Board and our members are passionate about preventing any death or serious injury occurring on our roads.
As the ATA Chair, Geoff Crouch said in his opening address to Trucking Australia delegates this year
“Whilst statistics are heading in the right direction……..It’s still not good enough though, and it won’t be good enough until every person who leaves home in the morning gets home safely, and there are no more midnight knocks on the door”.
Why become a Partner?
As an industry sector that is committed to eliminating serious injury and death from vehicle crashes, the ATA fully endorses the NRSPP vision.
With a fleet of more than 500,000 trucks and 41,097 businesses in the trucking industry, employing close to 260,000 people – the ATA is in a unique position as a highly recognised federated association within this vast and growing industry to both educate and influence.
We recognise that there is still work to be done with regard to the safety and professionalism of the trucking industry. Our partnership with the NRSPP offers the opportunity for us to amplify our voice and further influence road safety outcomes through collaboration with like-minded organisations and industry sectors and the opportunity to share and promote knowledge.
What actions could your organisation do to support road safety through the NRSPP & by when?
1. Contribute case studies (and webinars) that share our road safety knowledge and practices – particularly the TruckSafe complete safety management system. Ongoing 2. Share relevant ATA Safety Alerts and Technical Advisory Procedures (for inclusion on the NRSPP website knowledge centre). Ongoing 3. Partner with the 2018 Re:act program (Swinburne) and assist where needed with the preparation of the student background brief, including providing students with a hands-on truck experience. Students can talk to a driver and sit in the driver’s seat, gain a better understanding of where the blind spots are, how long it takes for a truck to brake and get a feel for the actual size of a truck. The ATA will invite the top two Re:act finalists to present their entry to Trucking Australia 2018 conference delegates and will announce the winning Re:act entry at the conference. March/April 2018 4. Collaborate and share knowledge with the NRSPP network. Promote safety information and resources across the ATA network to both industry and the general community via the ATA communication channels. Ongoing
Actions Delivered
- ATA arranged for the Safety Truck to be parked at Kangan Institute for the 2018 Re:act students to experience a truck first hand and provide creative input on its redesign.
- ATA Featured on judging panel for 2018 Re:act program, safe interactions of young road users with trucks.
- Re:act top three teams presented at 2018 Trucking Australia in Canberra to delegates and ATA members.
- Letter of support to NRSPP for NHVR Safety Funding Initiative proposal to develop:
- Awareness of safe interactions of other road users with trucks
- Adapting Transport for London’s Construction Logistics and Community Safety (CLOCS)
- In 2021, ATA joined the CLOCS-A Working Group as a Steering Group Partner
- Ben MaguireCEO
Actions Delivered
- ATA Featured on judging panel for 2018 Re:act program, safe interactions of oyng road users with trucks.
- Melissa WellerSafety and Skills Adviser
Melissa Weller has committed to Chair the CLOCS-A Technical Group Communications and Advocacy and signed on the CLOCS-A Memorandum of Understanding as a Steering Group Partner