The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) has released a proposal for truck licensing changes, urging the various state and territory governments to consider the plan to increase safety and encourage more people to join the industry.
ATA Chair Mark Parry released the association’s truck driver licensing plan this week, which was developed alongside a Workforce and Driver Training Summit held in June, saying the current system is inadequate.
“The problems became apparent to all in February 2016, when the crew of a B-double proved unable to reverse their overheight truck out of the entrance to a Sydney tunnel,” Mr Parry said.
“The association of government transport agencies, Austroads, has done an extended review of driver licensing, but governments now need to act.
“Many driving training organisations do a great job. Others train to a price or a time. Driver trainers must be assessed more rigorously, by experienced auditors who understand driver training and competencies.”
While the quality of training is a key focus area in the ATA submission, Mr Parry highlights that the current time-based system is flawed – holding back operators putting in the driving hours while allowing those with little to no experience to progress.
“There should be minimum behind the wheel training times, with the driver training experts at our summit proposing longer training times for discussion than the ones put forward by Austroads,” he said.
“At present, truck drivers progress through the licensing classes on a time basis. For example, once you have a medium or heavy rigid truck licence, you must wait a year before you can get a heavy combination (HC) licence.
“You are not required to use your licence and build up your driving skills and experience.”
The solution could lie in a proposed competency-based system, which allows drivers to progress based on time behind the wheel and assessed skill levels.
“Austroads has proposed that drivers should also be able to advance through the licence classes based on their driving hours, with accelerated progression for drivers who are supervised. There would still be training and assessment requirements,” Mr Parry said.
“We support these new pathways, but the existing time based option should be removed. There is no connection between the passage of time and driving skill,” he said.
Mr Parry says the current Multi-Combination (MC) class should be split into two classes, to reflect the extra skills required to drive combinations including triples, quads and other large multi-trailer setups.
“Drivers with existing MC licences would be automatically assigned to the higher MC2 class,” he said.
Mr Parry said driver medicals should be part of the licensing process and should be done before training gets underway.
“Our summit participants told us about job applicants who had gone to the time and effort of getting a licence and then being offered a job, only to discover during their employer induction that they did not meet the driver medical standards,” he said.
Mr Parry believes strengthening driver licensing and training will encourage more people to join the industry, addressing the industry-wide labour shortage.
“Truck driving is highly skilled, but the issues with the licensing system mean that many drivers end up having to learn critical safety skills and attitudes on the job,” he said.
“Many people who might consider a driving job can’t see a connection between getting a licence and having the skills to work safely and confidently in the industry.
“Strengthening driver licensing is a vital step toward encouraging more people with a safety-first attitude to join the industry.”
The 2024 Workforce and Driver Training Summit also developed industry approaches to vocational education, short courses and licensing drivers from overseas. The ATA will announce its plans on these issues soon.
Read the ATA’s full driver licensing plan, here.
