THE Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce (VACC) has reminded business owners that vehicle and fleet maintenance is an on-going process.

During the recent Safe Work Australia Week, employers and employees were encouraged to review their approach to ensuring safety within the workplace.
VACC, the peak automotive industry body in Victoria, is urging employers and employees to continue to review their approach to safety in the workplace, in particular regard to work related vehicles.
Company cars and commercial vehicles are workplaces and as such, are regulated by health and safety laws. “Vehicle safety should be 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks of the year,” VACC executive director David Purchase said. “Every employer and employee has a responsibility to continuously monitor the safety of their vehicle or fleet.
“A good source of information for managers and drivers is the Guide to Safe Work Related Driving.
“The guide is an important handbook and has been endorsed by the government, police, WorkSafe and the Transport Accident Commission. “The Guide to Safe Work Related Driving says that the selection of the safest possible vehicle needs to be backed up by a preventative maintenance program to ensure vehicle safety is maximized.

A maintenance system ensures that the manufacturer’s service recommendations are met and that the vehicle complies with roadworthiness requirements.
“If a vehicle is neglected and has bald tyres, faulty brakes or broken lights, that vehicle, regardless of its ANCAP safety rating, is at risk of being involved in a road traffic accident,” Mr. Purchase said. “VACC urges all business owners to read and understand the Guide to Safe Work Related Driving.”
For a free copy of the Guide to Safe Work Related Driving go to www.vacc.com.au.

What the hell is going on with the spate of some unrealistic bookings and fines police are sourcing from our truckies? Road safety is an issue we all accept, after all, the roads and highways are our workplace, but some of this recent stuff is ridiculous.

We’re all doing it tough at the moment and can do without some of this rubbish to contend with. If floods and bushfires are not enough to contend with nationally, truckies are being hit with big fines and bookings from police. Recently one truckie was booked for being 5mm over length. Another truckie was hit with a $600 fine and loss of 3 points for not entering a change of activity in his log book after parking and before he went to sleep. Yet another $600 fine and loss of 3 points went to another truckie for not logging a change of activity when he stopped to check his chains and go to the toilet. But wait there is even more, fines for 30cms over length on a body truck, and another truckie was booked by police after driving from Mackay to Brisbane in 10 hours even though we know it is a 10 hour run with no slow traffic to contend with. If you know of any other over the top fines, let us know by clicking on the comments at the end of this article (the comments link).

Are GPS units a legal unit of measurement for prosecution? Police seem to think they are…so watch out truckies….it’s all happening out there!!!