Plenty of industry members and others visitors took advantage of the NZ Transport Agency's site and seminars presented at last week's Transport and Heavy Equipment Expo, Mystery Creek, Hamilton.
The Agency’s presence gave road freight owners and operators a chance to talk heavy vehicle safety and compliance with staff from the Agency, Police from the Commercial Vehicle Investigation Unit (CVIU) and representatives from the Waikato Regional Council road safety team.
NZTA Regional Manager, Access and Use, David Pearks, says there was a lot of interest in High Productivity Motor Vehicles (HPMVs), the Vehicle Licensing Reform, the Operator Rating System (ORS) and the importance of maintenance and safety checks on heavy vehicles.
“Our free seminars held both on our own site and at the NZ Trucking site were also well attended by truck drivers and others from the freight industry,” says Mr Pearks. “The team received a lot of questions about HPMV and dimensions, particularly on the permitting process and on non pro-forma vehicles. There were also many positive comments about the information contained on related websites and in resource material available.”
Mr Pearks says that Road User Charges (RUC) was another popular focus for site visitors’ queries. “Most of the operators we spoke to appeared to be more accepting of these and were getting to grips with the new requirements. The majority of the questions were centred on HPMV and what combinations of trailer configurations could be used in relation to the new charging system. People also wanted to know about the ORS - how its scoring system works and what the likely consequences of a poor score would be.”
Many people took home booklets, pamphlets and other information after stopping at the NZTA site, says Mr Pearks. “Popular information included material on work time and log book keeping; ORS information; and service, maintenance and driver walk around checks. Our wheel detachment display seemed to be a good draw into the stand with quite a number of comments.”
"The NZ Transport Agency's focus on heavy vehicle compliance and safety reinforces the ‘Safe System’ approach to road safety, which is part of the Safer Journeys, New Zealand’s Road Safety Strategy 2010–2020, says Mr Pearks. “The Safe System approach recognises that people make mistakes and aims to reduce the impact on people when crashes happen. The approach features four key areas of focus - safe roads and roadsides, safe speeds, safe vehicles and safe drivers."
"The System acknowledges that safety on our roads is greater than the sum of its parts - and that road safety partners and drivers have a shared responsibility around this. Our participation in this Expo is part of a wide range of activities and work we do which are aimed at raising awareness on these issues and encouraging people to play their part in creating a Safe System."
Mr Pearks says it’s been great for the NZTA’s team and partners to talk directly to people in and outside the freight industry at the event. “It’s an important step in helping people improve safety for themselves and other road users, thanks to the discussions, displays and take-home information they’ve had access to at this Expo."
Two photos showing visitors at the NZTA site at the Expo.
