APEC truck talks to enhance safety drive

The meeting, which precedes the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Advisory Council meeting, is expected to lay the foundation for future initiatives to enhance road transport safety in the region, federal transport minister Anthony Albanese said.

Among topics for discussion are:

• road transport regulation and the enforcement challenges faced by the trucking industries;

• the role of larger vehicles – including B-doubles and B-triples – in increasing productivity by offering improved performance and maintaining safety;

• the right mix to achieve safety goals – behavioural, infrastructure and regulatory measures to produce safer vehicles and safer drivers;

• the benefits of a common set of heavy vehicle regulations and a single common regulator approach across borders aimed at reducing costs and increasing certainty for industry; and

• the role of emerging technologies with common standards and performance specifications to contribute to safety and productivity.

Australian Trucking Association chairman Trevor Martyn said the meeting had the potential to develop international standards in the eastern hemisphere.

"If successful, consistent policy across our region will enable operators to grow their businesses into new markers with a certainty that does not exist today," Mr Martyn said.