The trucking industry has called for every state to follow South Australia's new approach to licensing the drivers of Australia's iconic road trains and other very long trucks.
The South Australian reforms are to what is called the multi-combination (MC) licence class. You need an MC licence to drive the B-doubles seen on busy interstate highways as well as A-doubles, B-triples, road trains and quads.
To get an MC licence, a driver must hold a heavy combination (HC) or heavy rigid (HR) licence for at least 12 months, and undertake training and competency based assessment or a driving test.
An experienced truck driver from another country may be able to count some or all of their overseas experience toward the 12 months.
Australian Trucking Association Chair Mark Parry said the rules for MC licences raised two issues.
"The MC class covers trucks with widely different handling characteristics. A driver trained on a B-double may not be able to handle a longer road train safely. The major crash rate for triple road trains is almost 2.5 times higher than the rate for B-doubles," Mr Parry said.
"A driver whose experience is from overseas may find driving an MC truck even more challenging because they are still learning the formal and informal rules of Australia's roads," he said.
Australia's transport ministers have agreed in-principle to wide ranging reforms to truck licensing, but those reforms will take years. An interim solution is needed; South Australia has shown the way.
Following the death of industry veteran Neville Mugridge in a horrific crash, the South Australian transport minister, Tom Koutsantonis, has implemented a supervised MC Licence Program as an alternative to the existing 12 month waiting period.
South Australia no longer recognises overseas experience toward obtaining an MC licence, except for drivers from New Zealand.
South Australian Road Transport Association CEO Steve Shearer OAM said the association had lobbied for years for the change, which was repeatedly ruled out nationally.
"Australia has much larger trucks than other countries and our operating environment is different. We now urge every other state to match Minister Koutsantonis's initiative, ensuring consistent training and assessment of all truck drivers, including those from overseas, before they are issued an MC licence," Mr Shearer said.
It was the Australian Livestock and Rural Transport Association that advanced the South Australian approach to the ATA's member council for endorsement. Its president, Gerard Johnson, said the SA model was practical, inclusive and safety focused.
"Implementing this model nationally will ensure all drivers - regardless of background - are trained on Australian roads to handle the real-world conditions they'll face," Mr Johnson said.
"It's great to see the industry united in backing Minister Koutsantonis's leadership to deliver a smart interim step while longer-term reforms are developed. This is the kind of common-sense, cooperative reform Australia needs."
Mr Parry said the ATA had tested the merits of the SA approach with a roundtable of multicultural drivers, with the support of Teletrac Navman, the NHVR and the ATA's Foundation Sponsors - Volvo Trucks, NTI and bp.
"The roundtable participants unanimously endorsed the changes that South Australia has made," he said.
"The ATA believes that implementing the South Australian approach nationally will not only improve road safety. It will help address the appalling level of racism experienced by some international truck drivers, because every MC driver will have the same HR or HC experience on Australian roads."
