News
$8 million project supporting important freight routes
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ork is now underway on an $8 million project aimed to make it easier for local councils to support heavy vehicle operators to choose the most productive routes. In Western Australia, the Town of Port Hedland will be one of the 12 councils nationwide to benefit in its pilot phase. Assistant Minister for Road Safety and Freight Transport Scott Buchholz said that the Strategic Local Government Asset Assessment Project would aim at important freight corridors around Australia and include many assets like bridges and culverts on local roads that have not been assessed in many years.” “For many local councils, especially in regional and rural Australia, the task of assessing infrastructure such as bridge weight limits and height can be complex, especially when you consider the enormous number of different vehicle configurations. “This project will balance productivity and reduce movement risks by giving local councils access to engineers and other experts so they can make the best decisions about improving accessibility on these important routes. “Improving our freight transport corridors and making the information available to industry, means it’s easier to plan. That means knowing the best route and the right truck for the job.” National Heavy Vehicle Regulator CEO Sal Petroccitto said that the NHVR would start work undertaking assessments with the local councils in the pilot. “The project will improve heavy vehicle access by identifying key heavy vehicle routes on local roads and assisting local governments with the management of their road asset data. “It will also provide a central database that contains information on road assets making it easier for heavy vehicle operators to use routes that can accommodate them.
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ransafe WA has launched a road safety campaign that they believe operators are going to appreciate. Entitled, Give a Tru*k the campaign addresses some of the biggest frustrations transport operators experience every day on the road. Issues such as the massive gap truck operators leave behind cars which are not as some car users think, a courtesy gap to say, “In you come”. It’s there so that if anyone slams on their brakes, we can actually stop without going through two or three cars.” Or, when cars race trucks to the red lights in order to cut in front of you so they can be one step ahead. Operators have reported to Transafe WA that they can guarantee up to 10 close calls each day with cars and that is not driving a great distance either. “We know how we would like other road users to behave … so how do we bring about this change? By showing WA that we Give a Tru*k about the safety of all road
users and that they Give a Tru*k about us. To change behavior, we need to get this campaign on as many trucks as possible,” says Transafe WA. Transafe WA are also funding a fun and interactive social media campaign featuring animations of the four messages for platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Snapchat and are giving acknowledgment of participating fleets in regular media releases, social media and on a campaign webpage. The campaign development and design has been fully funded by Transafe WA with the support of a grant from WA’s Road Safety Commission. Fleets are asked to cover the cost of custom print (including any modification to file sizes if required) and install for their trucks only. To organize signage for your truck or fleet contact Ana Stachewicz, Transafe WA at executive.officer@transafewa.com.au or phone 0417 185 810. WATM • July 2020
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