The ARTSA Institute’s ‘Road Transport – embracing change and innovation’ conference took a lens to how all areas of the industry are tackling the future of transport. It offers a different perspective to many other similar events across the trucking world.

Each year, it focuses on a specific theme related to what is currently at the forefront of the industry, including the PBS scheme, truck safety, data insights and more in the past.

This year, the theme was ‘change and innovation’. Held at Surf Life Saving Victoria in Port Melbourne, attendees got the chance to hear from experts from key industry bodies and truck manufacturers on the steps they are taking in the coming years in response to industry changes.

Reform and regulation were also key topics of discussions, with speakers from the National Transport Commission and National Heavy Vehicle Regulator presenting on the latest developments in their respective areas.

One of the final presentations for the day, also one of the most substantial sessions, came from Aaron de Rozario, the Executive Leader of Regulatory Reform at the NTC.

The commission recently penned a document explaining proposed changes to the Heavy Vehicle National Law, a number of which were endorsed by Australia’s transport ministers in September 2024.

While some changes have been seen as controversial, including increases in fines for a number of penalties, Aaron and the NTC believe that many will be beneficial to the industry overall.

Martin Toomey led the trailer couplings research project.

“This was a review that started early, but it feels like it has going for 10 years,” he says.

“We are at a stage now where we have sat down for consultation on an amendment bill on regulations. What the NTC has been doing in the past few years has been working on behalf of the ministers to update the HVNL.

“Four key consultations and decisions have been made leading to our recommendations. The ministers endorsed 14 recommendations that the NTC made. We went out very specifically in August 2023 to look at some options targeting fatigue management, access and enhanced operator assurance.

“They then decided which of those options would be going forward. All of those things have been baked into the draft legislation.”

A new safety assurance system, which works to address the needs of operators more specifically, is one of the recommendations the NTC says should be introduced.

“We are going to have a tiered safety assurance system. The standard set of rules may not work well for operators, but they can work with the regulator to find alternate ways to reach their obligations. That really takes place in the fatigue space.

“For operators that get accredited, they’ll need to have a safety management system approved by the regulator. We’re trying to uplift that focus on safety. It will also expand driver duty to not drive unfit for any reason, not just fatigue.”

Mass limits will be boosted under the new HVNL amendments, being increased to match the current concessional mass limits. The NTC is also looking to increase the general access mass limit from 4.3m to 4.6m.

This is still pending awaiting advice from the NHVR for advice on rollover prevention.

“This means that any truck that is able to be operating at 4.6m will be able to do so,” Aaron says.