As the national authority on heavy vehicles and heavy vehicle safety, the NHVR is in a unique position to provide a simple overview of what each safety technology does and give guidance to the industry about which safety features they should look for in a heavy vehicle. Furthermore, it is hoped that developing a single recommended national safety package for some sectors could allow referencing of a consistent specification by those entering into contracts with those sectors.
Guides and policies that set out the minimum safety features a vehicle should include are nothing new, with state and territory authorities using fleet policies for their light vehicle fleet for years. Contracts containing a fleet purchasing policy are used to outline requirements beyond those regulated, that a vehicle must have to be eligible to be used for that contract. The benefit of these policies is that they allow organisations to lead by setting a higher level of safety for the vehicles used. Once vehicles are finished their fleet life, these vehicles are on sold and improve the level of safety in the general fleet.
