Welcome back to your guide for all things Heavy Vehicle National Law! We’re glad to have you with us for part 2. This time we’ll be giving you the Cliff’s Notes on the C-RIS, which covered some of the things the D-RIS overlooked. Don’t know what these letters mean? Jump back to part 1 to get up to speed. For those already in the know, read on…
C-RIS summary part 1: the problems
For the trained eye, there were a few glaring exclusions from the D-RIS:
1. Fatigue management reforms
2. As-of-right road network access
3. Enhanced operator assurance
That’s where the C-RIS comes in.
Within fatigue management, the C-RIS considers how the current law contributes to drivers driving while fatigued, asking in particular if:
1. Current fatigue enforcement and compliance focuses on following rules more than solving fatigue
2. Current record-keeping requirements are too onerous on the drivers
3. Prescriptive work and rest requirements are inflexible
4. Current controls focus on long-haul interstate journeys but not short-haul risks
To most of these questions (barring the last), the people largely say yes.
Within access, the C-RIS considers changing HV mass and dimension limits for as-of-right road access, asking in particular if:
1. Safety improvement rates haven’t been reflected in expanded general-as-of-right access
2. Red tape to access creates undue regulatory burden for operators looking to operate above general-as-of-right access limits
3. The current access regime is overly complex and opaque
4. Prescriptive vehicle combinations is a missed productivity opportunity
In these questions, the people are more divided.
Within enhanced operator assurance, the C-RIS notes that there is room for improvement in general confidence in current audit standards, asking if:
1. Audits can be improved to increase reliability and confidence
2. Auditor competency requirements may not fit into the new National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme Safety Management System requirements
3. Accreditation scheme alignment across Australia is inconsistent
The people are generally less responsive to these questions.