Issue #1
Grain Transport Safety
Newsletter from Grain Transport Safety Network
1. Safety Awareness
Check out these and other factsheets on the GTSN webpage
A.
Incorrect operation of trailers
There have been a number of recent incidents at grain sites where drivers have not lowered their trailers prior to driving away, resulting in the trailer colliding with grid doors, grid roofs and height warning indicators.
Also incorrect trailer operations have resulted in trailers tipping and ended up standing vertically due to tailgates not being opened correctly.
B.
Operating trucks on grain sites
Always double check your tipper is lowered before driving off – ‘Check It Out’” Drivers can install trailer up alarms that alert you if driving with the trailer raised.
C.
Use the Park Brake
Always make sure you apply the park brake (maxi brakes) before getting out of the truck cabin. You can install park brake alarms that alerts you when the park brake is not engaged when seat belt is released or driver’s door is opened.
2. Chain of Responsibility (CoR)
NHVR Prosecutes consignor over chain of responsibility breaches. Read the article Link
3. CoR Penalties increasing
Penalties for Mass violations increase from 1st July 2021
- Minor risk breach from $454 up to $4,000 (mass equaling 105% of the max mass permitted)
- Substantial risk breach from $685 up to $6,000 (mass equaling 105% to 120% of the max mass permitted)
- Severe risk breach $11,390 + an additional max of $570 for every additional 1% over 120%. Max Penalty does not exceed $20,000. Determined by magistrate based on level of risk.
Full detail on all penalties and infringements are available on the NHVR website
4. GTSN Truck Book
The GTSN Truck Book has been developed to help ensure that trucks are loaded within legal mass limits reducing the public risks from excessively loaded or excessively large heavy vehicles on our roads.
The Book is a comprehensive list of truck legal mass limits used in the grain industry. There are 84 truck types identified in the Truck Book plus a wealth of technical information to guide users. The book is a free PDF download from the GTSN Website.
The 21/22 version has recently been published free to the grain industry on the GTSN website, ready for the upcoming harvest.
5. New Truck Configurations
The grain industry is seeing new truck configurations added to the 21/22 version of the GTSN Truck Book
The new codes are:
- Code 24: 9 axle road train with PBS access on the 2A network
- Code 32 – 4 Axle Rigid and 5 axle dog, becoming increasingly common in NSW and Vic
- Code 102: 3 axle rigid with a 2 axle dolly and a 4 axle trailer
- Code 100: 3 axle rigid with a tri dolly, 3 axle A trailer and 3 axle B trailer! This can run to 85t at Fisherman Island, Pinkenba and Goondiwindi West, otherwise the mass is capped at 78.3t on the PBS 2B network. This combination can also operate without the second trailer, or swap the last trailer with the second to create a code 62.
7. GTSN members visit Viterra Outer Harbour
Prior to the GTSN Midyear meeting in Viterra’s Adelaide Office, GTSN members and NHVR staff toured the Viterra Outer Harbour facility. Present were:
- Peter Caprioli, Executive Director, Freight and Supply Chain Productivity, NHVR
- Kieren Gardner, Road Compliance Manager, GrainCorp
- Derek Robjohns, Logistics & Supply Chain Manager, Viterra (GTSN Chair)
- Sean Minto, Director & Principal Consultant, Supply Chain Safety Excellence
- Jose Arredondo, A/Executive Director, Freight and Supply Chain Productivity, NHVR
The visitors were shown the export terminal road receival and plant operations, inspecting the weighing, storage, quality control and shiploading facilities
8. GTSN Driver APP
GTSN is proposing to the development of a mobile APP that enables the growers to record detail of a delivery that can be communicated to the grain receiver prior to the arrival of the truck at site. This would dramatically improve data accuracy such as truck regos and mass codes and speedup the delivery process during harvest.
GTSN see the following list of benefits for the grain industry:
- Allow growers to enter a truck registration and validate it against NHVR registration records;
- Automatically populate if trucks have NHVAS Mass Accreditation to allow HML loading in Victoria and SA, and CML loading in Qld and NSW;
- Display the maximum GVM and GCM of the truck;
- Have a lookup tool for the truck configuration using the GTSN truck book codes;
- Allow uploading of TCA enrolment data from the IAP, TMA or RIM applications, PBS vehicle approval and access permits, or automatically populate accreditation based on the truck registration;
- Selection of participating grain receiver destination, Receivers not participating cannot be selected;
- Entry of National Grower Registration Number (or other grower number), Commodity and Grain Variety;
- Generate an electronic output to include all information when delivering at grain receival sites during harvest, this could be a scannable QR code, Near Field Communication, or mobile device communication.
9. GTSN members
Feedback
We would like to hear from you.
Please take a moment to share your suggestions. Thank you.