Heavy vehicle data sparks a call for better road funding

Heavy vehicle crashes involving livestock have spiked this year and the RSPCA says its now time to review the guidelines.

Other vehicle behaviour and poor road conditions are causing risks to carriers, as the number of livestock-related heavy vehicle incidents surges.

There were 14 crashes involving livestock in the first four months of 2024, including two fatalities, compared to eight crashes in the same period in 2023.

An RSPCA spokesperson said they believed the national land transport standards and guidelines were overdue for review, while the Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association says councils are nearly $1bn underfunded nationally to improve road conditions.

National Heavy Vehicle Regulator chief executive Sal Petroccitto said the 2024 crash number could double last year’s total if the “alarming” rate continues.

“Farm safety is a shared responsibility, and preventing crashes requires attention from all stakeholders in the agricultural and livestock sector,” he said.

A cattle truck rolled and caught fire in southern Queensland on June 23, which led to several cattle being euthanised.

Just two weeks prior, a woman died after a car and cattle truck crashed at Kingsthorpe, near Toowoomba.

ALRTA executive director Rachel Smith said 14 crashes was unfortunate, but “not statistically significant”. There are more than 600,000 livestock movements annually, excluding smaller livestock loads.

She said 85 per cent of heavy vehicle crashes were not attributed to the operator themselves.

Lighter vehicle behaviour caused about 10-11 per cent, while 4-5 per cent was typically attributed to extreme weather events, or the operator being at fault.

“If a light vehicle cuts a heavy vehicle transporter off, it can have a significant consequence,” she said.

Ms Smith said road condition had been a significant factor, with a stark increase in maintenance burdens on operators.

“Steering columns have broken, shock absorbers have gone out,” she said.

“It’s also the time off the road, you have to get the trailer recertified.”

NHVR is working with the livestock industry to develop new advice to improve safety, alongside simplifying the Heavy Vehicle National Law primary duty and chain of responsibility.

Ms Smith said a recent report showed local councils needed to maintain existing networks, but were $1bn underfunded.

She said councils controlled about 77 per cent of the freight network in Australia, and there needed to be funding for improvements.

“One of the reasons why we find livestock crashes so confronting is because there is livestock involved,” she said.