Port of Brisbane Pty Ltd (PBPL) and the Queensland Trucking Association Ltd (QTA Ltd) are pleased to announce a successful bid for funding under the 2018-19 Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative Fund.
The Heavy Vehicle Safety Around Ports project is funded by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) and was announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure Michael McCormack on Friday 10th August 2018.
QTA Ltd Chief Executive Officer Gary Mahon said: “We see this announcement as a great opportunity for the road freight industry and a clear message that the government views heavy vehicle safety a priority in one of the highest traffic areas for road freight in Australia.”
The Port of Brisbane is heavily reliant on the road transport network, with more than 3.1 million vehicles travelling on port roads annually, including a large proportion of heavy vehicles. This is set to increase as the freight task grows.
PBPL CEO Roy Cummins said: “We are very pleased to receive this funding with the QTA from the NHVR – road safety is a key priority at the Port of Brisbane”.
“As part of our proposal, we also intend to share learnings from the project with other ports across Australia. We feel confident that, ultimately, the learnings identified and shared in this project will deliver benefits to all road users and the broader port community. We look forward to working with the QTA to implement the project, and with the port community and heavy vehicle industry more broadly,” said Mr Cummins.
Both the QTA Ltd and PBPL are strongly committed to the heavy vehicle safety agenda, and this project will deliver safety-focused, tangible improvements using evidence-based findings.
Ross Vasta MP, Member for Bonner said: “This is fantastic news for local heavy vehicle drivers. I commend Port of Brisbane and the Queensland Trucking Association for developing this project that will provide a number of vital road safety measures. The government is proud to support this initiative that will improve safety in and around the Port of Brisbane and other ports.”
The project will pilot a number of road safety measures across fatigue, speed and people to determine the most effective solutions in reducing near-misses and accidents. It is hoped the project will deliver benefits and learnings for the entire road freight industry in Australia.
