The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has released the latest template of the Livestock Transport Fatigue Management Scheme (LTFMS), which provides pre-approved template Advanced Fatigue Management (AFM) accreditation systems designed to give livestock transporters the flexibility to respond to the dynamic, uncertain and complex livestock transport tasks.
The “Long Runs” template is designed to allow operators up to 15 ½ hours of work time in a single work opportunity on a non-consecutive basis (i.e., one day long, one day short).
The template delivers additional flexibility and more options to the livestock industry to operate more efficiently and maintain high safety standards. This template will kick start the process to allow the NHVR to work closely with individual businesses on their fatigue management systems.
Scenarios that might use this template task include:
- planning for a specific delivery (direct or return) in excess of 1200 kilometres or where congestion or other delays are anticipated at the start or end of the journey (e.g., trips between Port Adelaide and Sydney, trips from Alice Spring to Port Augusta when the winds are up)
- after consultation with their supervisor, where a driver is required to continue a journey in order to meet animal welfare requirements
- journeys where a driver is rapidly approaching their planned prescribed maximum work time due to unforeseen delays, but is unable to find a suitable place to take rest
There are three LTFMS fatigue management templates, each offering a different set of work and rest hours flexibility and associated risk mitigation requirements.
| Fortnightly Cycle (already available) | allows operators up to 12 consecutive days of work opportunities followed by a reset rest break of at least 30 hours, including two night sleeps. Drivers can work up to 14 hours on a day, but cannot do so on all 12 days. |
| Long Runs (just released) | allows operators up to 15 ½ hours of work time in a single work opportunity of 17 hours, on non-consecutive work opportunities separated by at least seven hours sleep (e.g., one day long, one day short). |
| Journey Flexibility (in development) | allows operators up to 15.5 hours of work time across multiple, consecutive work opportunities in a 72 hour period. The arrangement is a modification of the West Australian fatigue management Code of Practice, reflecting the 15 minute counting interval specified under the Heavy Vehicle National Law. |
Work and rest limits for Long Runs
The work and rest limits for the Long Runs template task:
Table 3 Livestock Transporters operating limits
| In any period of … | … a driver must not work for more than … | … a driver must not rest for less than… |
| 4 ½ hours | 4 hours | 30 minutes in blocks of 15 continuous minutes |
| 24 hours | 15 ½ hours | 8 ½ hours, including 7 continuous hours stationary rest 1 |
| 48 hours | 27 ½ hours | 20 ½ hours, including 10 continuous hours stationary rest2 |
| 7 days (168 hours) |
82 hours | One 24 continuous hour period stationary rest |
| 14 days (336 hours) |
156 hours | Two 24 continuous hour periods stationary rest |
| 28 days (672 hours) |
312 hours | Four 24 continuous hour periods stationary rest |
Conditions
1 7 continuous hours stationary rest should include the period from midnight to 6 am
2 10 continuous hours stationary rest should include the period from midnight to 6 am
More information on the template can be found here: http://www.nhvr.gov.au/livestockfatiguescheme
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