A NORTH Queensland livestock transporter is calling for big changes to the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) after his fleet was recently grounded for two weeks.
Normanton-based Hawkins Transport is integral to communities in the Gulf of Carpentaria, with a fleet of up to 70 road trains – including livestock transport, side tippers for road works and taking groceries to remote Indigenous communities.
The livestock business is the ninth biggest in the country according to Beef Central’s top 25 livestock transport feature last year, with 20 trucks that primarily transport the annual weaner turn off from large scale cattle stations in the gulf.
The company was recently issued a prohibition order from the NHVR (which grounds the entire fleet) over safety concerns, after the company had some rollovers earlier this year.
Owner Bradley Hawkins said the order was issued without complete investigation into the cause of the rollovers and with a lack of consideration shown towards the community needs in the remote areas which it services.
“I am not just a cattle carter and road builder, I am a grocery supplier to aboriginal communities in Far North Queensland. Do they just have to starve because the NHVR choose to ground the fleet?
“I have approximately 75 staff on books, what am I supposed to do with them? Are they just not supposed to feed their families?
Mr Hawkins said his calls to overhaul the regulator were not about trying to push aside legitimate safety concerns, but rather they were about trying to make sure the regulator understands the consequences of their decisions.
“I have always been happy to work with them, I just don’t believe they should have the power to put a company through what I have just gone through when they don’t even have the information right,” he said.
“There were no charges laid against me over the accidents.
“In the old days, when the Department of Transport were running the show they would rock up on your doorstep, have a talk and try work through the issues”
“The NHVR just put a prohibition on and you don’t even know who you are dealing with. My staff have been dealing with them on the phone, but I have never met any of them.”
The NHVR agreed to inspect Mr Hawkins’ trucks and trailers in Mount Isa, about 500km from Charters Towers. A process he also questioned.
“If I am so unsafe, why would they let me drive all that way down a main highway to get inspected,” he said.
Mr Hawkins said the inspection was a time-consuming experience as there was only a single pit, which meant he had to break down triples and quads to get them inspected.
Hawkins Transport has had issues with the regulator before, last year working through a series of charges and defect notices without the fleet being stopped. Mr Hawkins said other transport companies had similar issues.
While he didn’t have all the answers, he said big changes were needed to their approach.
“We cannot get drivers because nobody wants to put up with being treated like this on the side of the road,” he said.
“We find ourselves in situations where it is hard to get experienced drivers prepared to work and drive in the current conditions”
“I am not saying they should just leave us alone, there needs to be laws and guidelines. But we need to find solutions to these problems rather than just handing out fines after fines.”
“Safety is the highest priority which we need to achieve by working together”
so true something has to be done it is just getting out of hand we have to make our trucks and trailers up to standards but talk a look at te roads they are not truck safe
It would appear that it’s time for an injunction against the NHVR for overreach. a safety concerns are very important, but one must weigh up everything, that is everything. if a community has to starve, because of NHVR overreach. When they cite that safety is the ONLY concern, the bureaucratic approach must be reasonable. Not every truck in a fleet of that many trucks has been shown to have problems. inspecting every truck again is overreach. those trucks that need work – yes make sure they are safe. What is the standard of proof? When the balance of the fleet trucks haven’t been inspected, there is no proof, and there should not be an assumption that there is something wrong with them when people rely on them for jobs for food, for transport across isolated Outback regions. You have got to be kidding. This is bureaucracy gone crazy. On the balance of possibilities, there is every likelihood that the NHVR is abusing it’s authority. EVERY consequence MUST be considered. When I was in the NSW Police, we were taught quite soundly that the extreme course should not be taken, even in criminal matters, when a summons would suffice. how on earth can the NHVR have more power than NSW Police in criminal matters??? especially when this is interfering with basic human needs!!!!!!!!
There is nothing worse than an OVER POWERED and UNDER QUALIFIED public servant, especially with very limited knowledge of the enviromental conditions applying to the job. What does Bob Katter think?
NHVR is not in control of there staff a lot don’t have any mechanicle background but they can defect you because they can THEY don’t accept that things break while you are driving or your pre-trial inspection can’t pick up a defect. they have the ability to travel to Hawkins depo and inspect there fleet there instead of making them travell to mt Isa they did the same to a transport company in SA .shut them down but in the end they backed down
about the nhvr is becoming out of control. correct me if I’m wrong the CEO is a Kiwi so am I. I’m a heavy vehicle mechanic my last company I worked for was targeted no doubt there. the amount of repairs that company put into their vehicles should of been more than adequate to keep any vehicle on the road this includes brand new vehicles yet they were targeted. is there any way they(nhvr) can be made accountable for their actions
I am a now retired long distance truck and Road Train driver, and gave 50 years of my life in transport. Have serviced many of the outback communities of Qld and NT. With regulators able to use such tactics to shut an operation down with out any charges laid. It’s easy to see why there is a shortage of experienced operators and why the industry has to employ 457 visor drivers from countries with poor training and safety records.
Yes of course there has to be regulations and enforcement to make safety a number 1 priority.. But imposing heavy fines and penalties does nothing for safety.
Truck drivers over fifty years old we should all stop working in protest with over regulations from a government that has gone crazy. It’s probably NHVR way of dealing with climate change pushed on to them by Chris Bowan and the Labour government. I’m at the point in my driving career Xmas I’m out unless they do something about regulations in my industry. Drivers over 50 may be able to financially wait it out compared to a younger driver with a mortgage.
If this department was serious about standing by its regulations…it would work under the name that it stands for N.H.V.Regulator….NOT ENFORCEOR….They are there to regulate the industry and help resolve issues at hand to make our trucks safer…
i myself am a small transport company of only 4 truck family run and owned and my heart goes out to brad hawkins when anyone that knows the man knows the rock that he is to so many. recently i had one of my trucks put over the rollers at mt white nsw which came back all 95 percent bar one which we got defect for which was put into workshop and rectified straight away also getting defect cleared by certified person to come out and inspect. that night on way out of town got wheeled at chinderah where nhvas officer on quick walk around truck without even getting underneath said all the brakes were out of adjustment because his quick visual sight of them assumed that slack adjuster were overstrocking therefor got another major defect and park up. even after there own roller test cdrtified meckanic and authorised perzon to clear defect this officer took more time doing ul ddfect than he did looking at truck. why is this power trip continually ascepted without any repocussions on them. you could get plenty revenue in lagitiment ways rafher than pull these stunts.
Am not involved anymore, but understand.the situation well. Have had interaction with similar departments and found them next to useless. They really do not understand the business and have concept of the distances involved as most have never left their offices.
Typical bureaucracy.
Again this is just another government regulator doing their thing
The NHVR is out of control with their assault on the Transport industry.
A young owner operator is fine. $9000 for infringements in his logbook. There is example after example.
When do we as a community, ‘Say enough is enough’ we did not vote for this, it does not pass, The Pub Test.
No wonder Pauline Hanson is becoming so popular. It is a whole cultural mindset change.
yes I agree with other comment from Jamie cupples and I also agree with the comments made by Mr Hawkins safety and compliance is very important and we all recognise that and ok they have a job to do but at least use a bit of noise shutting a complete company down and a company that goes places and services remote communities and the roads they have to drive on wake up nhvr instead of pushing exp drivers from the industry
Such standover tactics by the NHVR to hold a small community to ransom without any investigation, and seeing as there were no charges laid due to the rollovers, one has to wonder who they think they are.
You would think that if they had done an investigation and charges laid, their actions could be partially justified, but to use standover tactics and not only put 70+ people out of work, but to make people go without food and supplies is nothing short of standover tactics.
it seems they are right to ask for an investigation into the tactics of these standover merchants and bullies, as this isn’t the first story I’ve seen of this type and unless this government does somethjng, do communities have to starve to death?
Maybe if the revenue raised from fuel taxes was spent on the roads like its meant to be a lot of these accidents might not have happened.
Secondly why does the transport industry cop so much of a flogging from the authorities over the slightest defect?
Yet thousands of overweight unsafe caravans wallowing over the highways are very rarely ever fined.
💯% Agree. The number of rollovers of caravans on the Bruce Hwy is out of control. As you said the NHVR need to look at this…. not just trucks.
Gov’t officers should be answerable to the local MP, and be at risk of being stood down if they are found wanting in their procedures and decisions.
Without knowing any of the issues why Hawkins Transport was shut down by the NHVR it is very disconcerting that an organisation such as the NHVR can shut down a business, that is a vital provider of transport services and employment to a significant number of business and people situated in rural and remote areas of Queensland. If the NHVR is to maintain any credibility with our community, they need to explain their actions.
looking at the article the explanation might be right in front.
In the article it is clear the company as a long and poor history for compliance and takeing pre emitive procedures and maintenance it would appear is not on the agenda.
For if they were the historical history of none compliance would not exist.
Pulling a fleet off the road would not have been a single person making the decision, it would have involved legal opinion and a last
If ablock can’t detect a theme through upper comments then there’re missing the point. Numerous comments point out the over zealous and mindless way nhvr conduct enforcement bloody ridiculous the disproportionate fines for in most cases a bookkeeping error.