Developing relationships is an important focus for the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator, as the agency works towards strong partnerships, strong engagement and communication, says Sal Petroccitto, NHVR CEO.

The NHVR’s commitment to build strong and respected relationships with industry as well as local and state governments helps us stay connected and informed on the challenges and opportunities that are facing the heavy vehicle supply chain, and provides the opportunity to work collaboratively to deliver improved safety and productivity outcomes.

Seeing the enormous effort put in by the Brisbane Truck Show organisers as well as the attendees and display owners this year was an absolute credit to the industry as a whole.

From our end our NHVR displays saw thousands of industry, government and general community engagement with extensive conversations across an array of topics.

Our main NHVR display was staffed by a cross section of our subject matter experts who were on hand to talk through any questions or topics around fatigue management, productivity improvements, general compliance enquires such as mass, dimension, load restraint as well as access permits, vehicle standards, and more.

In particular, we had some great conversations around the interpretation of notices and working with road managers for access decisions.

For our second display, we partnered with the Queensland Police Service (QPS) to discuss enforcement and road safety. The issue of road safety is everyone’s responsibility and during the event, we received some great insights from industry on their experiences behind the wheel.

The Brisbane Truck Show was a great opportunity to collaborate further with the QPS. Together we previously released the Sharing our Roads with Oversize Loads campaign, to advocate for the safety of oversize or overmass heavy vehicle drivers and escorts.

Targeted at light vehicle drivers, we had QPS feature in a series of videos to increase awareness around the safe movement of oversize vehicles, and the need to slow down, pull over and stop for an approaching wide load.

We thank QPS for collaborating with us for the event, to improve road safety for all road users.

The third display gave industry an up-close look at how we are reaching young drivers at the beginning of their driving journey, with our important safety message – Don’t #uck With A Truck.

Inside the Don’t #uck With A Truck trailer, attendees tested our virtual reality (VR) immersion experience used to educate Learner and Provisional licence holders on the challenges truck drivers face when cars drive up the inside lane of a turning truck, pull in front of a truck or don’t apply patience when overtaking a truck.

We also showcased content from our second phase of the campaign Don’t Truck It Up, where a scrap metal claw, sledge hammer and slingshot destroy popular objects in a young person’s life, such as mobile phones and gaming consoles, to show how quickly crashes can occur if they don’t follow the rules around driving safely around trucks. A special thank you to Kenny Easter from Easters Transport for providing a trailer for this display.

The response to each of our displays was very positive and it was great to see so many familiar faces engaging with our staff and sharing their experiences. We look forward to building on these strong partnerships further in the months to come.

To protect and support the safety of operators, drivers, and everyone on our roads, we continue to expand our Don’t #uck With A Truck and We Need Space campaigns.

I’m excited to share our latest phase of We Need Space, aptly titled We ALL Need Space. This latest phase will feature the faces of popular celebrities to help spread the word that whether you’re a comedian, musician, athlete, truck driver, car motorist, cyclist, or pedestrian, we all need space to stay safe on the roads.

The first celebrity we’ve partnered with for We ALL Need Space is renowned Aussie comedian and social media personality Jimmy Rees.

Jimmy has shared three videos in his signature point of view style, sharing his humorous take on the family road trip, young drivers’ attitude after first receiving their Provisional (P) licence, and the habits of caravanners, all whilst highlighting how these groups, and everyone, can drive safely around trucks.

In the videos, Jimmy addresses how to navigate a truck’s blind spots, keep the lanes beside a turning truck free, and how to safely overtake a truck. Specifically, for caravanners, the video explains the importance of leaving truck rest stops free and using the UHF radio Channel 40 to let truck drivers know if a caravanner plans to overtake, or vice versa.

Stay tuned – we have more exciting personalities lined up to lend their voice to this important safety initiative.

The campaign is live now with more components being released through to September, so keep an eye out on your socials for Jimmy’s videos.

Once again, a big congratulations to everyone involved in the 2023 Brisbane Truck Show and I look forward to doing it all again in 2025.