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The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) is reminding heavy vehicle drivers to follow work and rest requirements ahead a campaign to reduce fatigue related incidents on national roads.

The campaign, which runs from 18 to 23 September across New South Wales, is part of the NHVR’s regulatory strategy to inform, educate and enforce via on-road compliance and industry engagement.

Operation Drive Time will see NHVR Safety and Compliance Officers focus on heavy vehicle driver fatigue, work diary and heavy vehicle speed compliance for all heavy vehicles across NSW.

According to the NHVR, there have been 48 fatalities from heavy vehicle crashes in NSW over the past year.

“As part of our inform, educate and enforce approach we are working with industry to raise better awareness of the extreme risk that fatigue presents,” said NHVR Director of Operations Central Region, Brett Patterson.

“Our aim is to have a strong engagement and education presence – from formal events to random roadside inspections – with a focus on promoting safe industry behaviour.

“With the road toll spiking in almost every state and territory over the past 12 months, the safety of all drivers on the road is our number one priority.”

According to Patterson, the NHVR has a strong focus on educating heavy vehicle drivers on work diary requirements.

However, he said where the NHVR identifies a fatigue safety risk, appropriate compliance measures will be applied.

“During the past nine months, over 1,400 hours of roadside education has been undertaken on work diaries with heavy vehicle drivers,” he said.

“If we’re to reduce fatigue related incidences in heavy vehicle drivers on Australian roads, then operations which focus on drivers carrying their work diaries is critical.”

Committed to educating heavy vehicle drivers on the main causes of fatigue, the NHVR is asking drivers to be aware of some of the main signs. These include:

a lack of alertness;
inability to concentrate;
drowsiness, falling asleep or micro-sleeps;
difficulty keeping your eyes open, excessive head nodding or yawning;
blurred vision;
near miss or incident;
not keeping in a single lane; and
not maintaining a constant speed.

In other news, heavy vehicles, among 700,000 motorists, will qualify for toll relief under the New South Wales Government’s $60 toll cap confirmed to begin on 1 January 2024.

The post NHVR’s Operation Drive Time calls for care appeared first on Trailer Magazine.

A new agreement between Transport for NSW (TfNSW) and EnergyCo will upgrade New South Wales’ road network to help accelerate the transition to renewable energy.

EnergyCo has finalised a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with TfNSW to facilitate the rollout of Renewable Energy Zones (REZs) with road improvements.

The ‘Port to REZ’ agreement will see the NSW Government upgrade the state’s road network to help support the build-out of critical infrastructure for NSW’s energy future.

Upgrades will be undertaken in consultation with communities, councils and road users to help support the build-out of critical infrastructure for NSW’s energy future.

As part of the project, components for renewable energy projects and supporting transmission infrastructure will need to be transported from ports to the REZs along the existing road network. These include wind turbines, towers and transformers.

The MOU ensures TfNSW will be able to help EnergyCo identify appropriate corridors for the transportation of over-sized and over-mass (OSOM) components to REZs and priority transmission network infrastructure projects.

Together with EnergyCo, TfNSW will plan, consult and undertake necessary works to ensure the identified roads can support the anticipated transportation requirements.

They will also develop a strategy and framework to efficiently and safely manage the transportation of OSOM loads along these routes.

EnergyCo Chief Executive, James Hay, said EnergyCo will lead consultation with renewable generators, landowners and councils around relevant roadworks.

“The Port to REZ MOU between EnergyCo and TfNSW is another example of how we are taking a whole-of-government and community-focussed approach to delivering a clean, reliable and affordable energy system for the State,” he said.

“It complements EnergyCo’s agreement with the Department of Planning to establish dedicated resources for assessment of major energy projects in NSW REZs, and EnergyCo’s partnership with the Port of Newcastle to understand the logistics required to support renewable energy development in NSW.”

TfNSW Executive Director, Regional Community and Places, Anthony Hayes, said the transport task associated with these projects is substantial.

According to Hayes, the new agreement will aid efficient and collaborative planning with government, local councils and communities.

“For many of these projects, hundreds of massive components will need to be safely and efficiently moved across our road network,” he said.

“By working together, we will ensure the best routes are identified and ready to enable the manoeuvring of these key components to their destinations in the Renewable Energy Zones, with minimal impact to the community.”

Individual developers will still be responsible for addressing their respective road haulage requirements and will need to plan for and implement any necessary measures to ensure OSOM vehicle movements can be accommodated on local road networks to their project sites.

The post Breaking road network agreement seals renewable transition appeared first on Trailer Magazine.

The Mandagery Creek Bridge will soon become more suitable for higher mass heavy vehicles.

The $12 million Mandagery Creek Bridge replacement project in New South Wales is progressing with construction crews having just completed building and switched traffic onto the upstream half of the bridge.

The existing bridge on Henry Parkes Way at Manildra was built in 1930. Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Jenny Aitchison, said it is narrow, in poor condition and does not conform with modern design standards.

Staged construction of the new bridge on the same alignment is currently taking place with single lane vehicle access across Mandagery Creek maintained at all times.

Upon completion, the new concrete bridge will be wider, stronger and better suited for heavy vehicles.

Aitchison, who recently inspected progress on the Mandagery Creek Bridge replacement project, said the recent developments were important achievements.

“The construction team still have the downstream half of the bridge to build but the traffic switch onto the completed upstream half represents an exciting milestone for the project,” she said.

Work on the downstream half is now the focus, with crews working on demolition preparation.

“The bridge is an important link for Manildra residents to access the town centre, as well as motorists travelling between Orange and Parkes, regional tourists, and freight operators,” said Aitchison.

“The new structure will be wider and stronger, be capable of carrying higher mass vehicles and make for smoother, more efficient journeys for road users.”

As part of the project, crews are jacking the existing decks on the westbound lane and preparing to lift out the cut deck segments using a crane.

The segments will then be lifted from the downstream side, out and over the newly completed upstream half of the bridge.

The crane will be used during the second of 10 non-consecutive weekend closures, from 7pm Friday 15 September to 6am Monday 18 September.

During this period, Manildra residents on either side of Mandagery Creek will have no direct access to the other side of the creek and will have to detour via Cudal.

For more information on the project, click here.

In other news, new fleet equipment continues to roll in as Linfox invests in modern vehicles, rail containers and handling equipment to support its growing national freight task and safeguard Australian supply chains.

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