The benefits of risk-based and compliance-based law enforcement were a big discussion point at the TruckingAustralia23 conference in QLD during March. It’s obviously a frustration for transport operators, and according to delegates, it’s causing drivers to leave the trucking industry.
Risk-based law enforcement focuses on using data and observation to identify activities and organisations that are more likely to be breaking the law. Compliance-based law enforcement, on the other hand, focuses on enforcing laws and sometimes catches people that are generally law obeying, but are operating outside the law when observed by authorities.
For example, countless examples were shared where drivers were fined for minor mistakes in logbooks, or minor vehicle faults, which would not increase the risk for the road users or the wider community.
In road transport, risk-based law enforcement can be more effective, leading to safer operations and safer roads. This was the message from Paul Salvati from the NHVR at a session on Efficient and Fair Enforcement.
Before the presentations started, it felt like the audience of transport operators were ready for a fight with representatives from the NHVR and QLD Police in the same room. However both presenters acknowledged the past behaviours, and accepted that more training of enforcement officers was still required, while the NHVR presented a picture of a modern regulator which focused on education and training rather than fines.
Chris Stream, A/Assistant Commissioner at QLD Police, shared the the four main issues they encounter with heavy vehicles.
- Load restraints – not properly secured
- Speed limiter tampering
- Driver fatigue
- Combination offences (Speeding because drivers are fatigues, on drugs or unlicenced)
Unlike the NHVR, the police relied less on data and more on observation to apply risk-based enforcement. They also received intelligence from other transport operators, drivers and general public.
One statistic that shocked the audience was the number of drivers caught with drugs in their system while driving. It wasn’t split by car/truck, but it was stated that in QLD, 1 in 4 drivers randomly tested for drugs were found to be positive. This compares to 1/90 for alcolhol.
By the end of the session, the audience was buoyed by the risk-based enforcement approaches being promoted by both the NHVR and the QLD Police.
