Heavy vehicles are an essential part of our economy so it’s important to know how to share the roads with them safely. However the opinion that they’re a hazard seems to be widely held. Karen Fittall separates fact from fiction to see if it’s justified.
Heavy vehicles and their drivers have copped a lot of flack in recent times, and the public’s perception of the trucking industry is not positive.
It’s not surprising that the public is increasingly disillusioned — and scared — about having to share the road alongside heavy vehicles. In April, 60 Minutes ran a story called ‘Highway to Hell’ and the NSW Transport Workers Union (TWU) has made claims that a high number of long-distance truck drivers abuse stimulants to meet delivery timetables. Add to that the perception that trucks are responsible for the majority of fatal road crashes, and it’s not looking good for the trucking industry. But is that the whole story?
The Australian Trucking Association’s (ATA) Chief Executive, Chris Althaus, naturally thinks the trucking industry is being judged unfairly.
“In making these unfounded and anecdotal claims, the TWU representatives have offended the vast majority of hard working, law-abiding drivers in the industry, and particularly the long-distance sector, that go about their duties with the utmost professionalism,” he says.
Results from random drug testing by police in Victoria earlier this year showed a lower incidence of drug use among truck drivers than car drivers.
In addition, only 9% of heavy truck drivers involved in fatal crashes between 1996 and 2000 were identified as being fatigued.
Facts such as these come as no surprise to Des Bailey, this year’s National Professional Driver of the Year. According to Des, it’s a minority of drivers who have given the profession a bad reputation.
“I plan my trips around my rest breaks... all of the drivers I know do that. But people hear negative things and automatically assume it’s happening across the industry as a whole.”
NRMA Mobile Member Centre driver, John Ngarotata, agrees but also concedes that tight delivery deadlines can cause undue pressure on drivers.
“But that applies to drivers of cars, just as much as it does to heavy vehicle drivers. If you’re pushed for time, you’re likely to take more risks whether you’re in a truck or in a car, and that obviously increases the chances of having a crash,” says John.
While John admits that truck drivers aren’t always in the right, he can cite many examples of how cars behave badly around trucks.
“Everyday heavy vehicle drivers have to deal with car drivers who aren’t as well educated as they could be about sharing the roads with trucks.
“Cars are obviously smaller and faster, and tend to pull in front of trucks to get ahead, but what they don’t realise is that we’ve left that space for a reason. Every time a car does that we have to pull back to create that space again so we can stop safely. When cars keep taking up the gap, it makes it difficult for us to maintain a safe
following distance.”
So it’s important to allow trucks plenty of space on the roads as they need longer stopping distances. It’s also important for truck drivers to keep a safe following distance. Mutual respect ensures safer roads.
In 2003, only 10% of Australia’s 1457 fatal road crashes involved large articulated trucks. And, of the fatal crashes they have been involved in, in 67% of cases, they were not responsible for the crash.
In fact, recent statistics from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau show that despite an increase in the number of operating articulated trucks and a rise in the total number of kilometres travelled between 1991 and 2001, the fatality rate per kilometre dropped by 20%.
The result is in part due to programs like the ‘Safer Roads Save Lives’ campaign of which NRMA plays a core role, along with other motoring clubs and partners such as the ATA.
An integral part of the ‘Safer Roads Save Lives’ campaign is NRMA’s Mobile Member Centre (MMC) — a purpose-built semi-trailer that offers regional and rural Members the latest information about a variety of issues. Part of the Centre’s mission is to develop a greater understanding of how to share the road safely with trucks.
NRMA ensures that its safety practices are of the highest standard. For example, to ensure driver fatigue is not an issue for the drivers of the MMC, it employs two drivers for every trip.
Also, NRMA recently attended the then Minister for Transport Michael Costa’s Heavy Vehicle Summit to represent Members’ views.
Though safety improvments have been made in the trucking industry, more still needs to be done.
The heavy vehicle industry constantly pushes for increases in length and load. NRMA believes any changes should be balanced with improved safety and environmental performance. As such NRMA would like to see heavy vehicles equipped with front, side and rear under-run guards (to ensure light vehicles don’t run underneath the heavy vehicle in the event of a crash) and ABS brakes. ABS brakes allow the driver to steer while braking heavily and minimise stopping distances.
NRMA also believes heavy vehicles should be equipped with tamper-proof, onboard monitoring and speed limiting equipment. Electronic onboard monitors can better observe driving hours and driver behaviour.
NRMA also sees a need for increased enforcement of heavy vehicle speed limits. The RTA has introduced its ‘Three Strikes’ scheme, aimed at penalising heavy vehicles which are repeatedly caught exceeding the speed limit (if three strikes are recorded in a three year period the vehicle’s regisitration is suspended). However, they do have to be caught first.
A trailer has a different licence plate number to the prime mover which can make it difficult to identify the vehicle when it is photographed from the rear. NRMA would like to see all heavy vehicle camera enforcement use front and rear detection.
NRMA also supports opportunities to put more freight onto rail where distances are long and freight is suited to rail transport, but it’s naive to think that rail can transport everything.
“What people fail to remember is how integral trucks are to our economy,’ says Alan Evans, President, NRMA Motoring & Services.
“The apples you buy from the supermarket, having a regular postal service... heavy vehicles on the roads are vital in making those things possible,” says Alan.
“A lot of people argue that rail could be used instead of trucks, and that the number of heavy vehicles on the road could be reduced, but realistically that’s not feasible.”
Roads cover much more of Australia than railways do — Australia has some 810,052 kilometres of roads and only 44,262 kilometres of rail track. We rely on trucks more because they suit our geography and population density, and that is unlikely to change.
Statistics show that road freight continues to grow 1.5 times as fast as the economy, with estimates that freight is expected to double by 2020.
And that makes it even more essential not only to increase heavy vehicle safety, but to learn to confidently share our roads with trucks.
Long and heavy vehicles on the roads can cause frustration. However, if you know how to share the roads with such vehicles as well as the road rules they abide by you can negotiate them more easily and confidently.
There are many types of large vehicles on the road. Know how to identify them and you can anticipate what to expect when you are on the road with one.
Oversize trucks are wider, longer or higher than a normal truck, or they can be a combination of these. They have an orange light that flashes and are sometimes also escorted in front and/or behind, so allow extra room to overtake.
Long vehicles tow a combination of trailers with a total length of 25 to 26 metres. They are permitted to travel up to 100 km/h and are common on many roads throughout NSW.
Roadtrains are exceedingly long vehicles but they are not used in NSW.
It’s dangerous to cut into a gap in front of a truck as they slow for traffic lights or when on the highway. For every 5 km/h a truck travels, it needs a space equivalent to its length to stop — that’s a lot of space, particularly if a truck is doing 100 km/h.
The sign ‘Do not overtake turning vehicle’ on the back of trucks warns you that the truck needs more room when it turns and can legally turn from the centre lane. Don’t move into the truck’s blind spot to the left when it turns — if you can’t see the driver’s face in their mirrors, they can’t see you.
When a truck overtakes you, maintain your speed — don’t accelerate. If anything, ease up on the accelerator.
A truck is longer than a car, so you need more road to pass. When you’re sure it’s safe, signal, move out and pass sensibly.
That ‘Do not overtake turning vehicle’ sign applies at roundabouts too. Larger trucks need to make wide turns and often need the entire road. Truck drivers try to anticipate traffic flow at roundabouts to avoid stopping, so the truck is not trying to race you onto the roundabout, the driver is simply trying to facilitate the smooth flow of traffic. If the truck has to stop, a slow start can cause a traffic jam.
Speed limiting, when referring to trucks, means that no engine power is delivered above 100 km/h. However, gravity can still push a truck faster downhill. Truck drivers like to be at the maximum legal speed as they approach hills to lessen traffic delays, but if they slow as they travel uphill or overtake, they’re doing the best they can.
When a truck goes to overtake you, maintain your speed and don’t move off the road — moving left only makes controlling your trailer more difficult.
When you come up behind a truck dip your lights early as truck mirrors are large and don’t have an anti-glare position.
Courtesy and patience prevent road rage and may even save your life. A friendly wave is more welcome than an angry fist.
NRMA also suggests that you try not to let the size of the vehicle intimidate you. If everyone on the road respects the road rules and each other, we can expect to enjoy safer and more pleasant road journeys.
For further details visit www.atatruck.net.au, www.rta.nsw.gov.au/heavyvehicles or www.mynrma.com.au/saferroads.
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