Facilitating safer trucks in Australia

Media Release from Senator the Hon Carol Brown MP, Minister for Infrastructure and Transport

MEDIA RELEASE | Thursday 28 September 2023

The Australian Government has made changes to the national road vehicle standards to facilitate the supply of safer trucks in Australia, to help reduce road trauma while bolstering freight productivity.

It is estimated the changes will provide a net benefit of over $500 million to the Australian economy.

These safety features include devices to reduce blind spots, electronic stability control, advanced emergency braking, a lane departure warning system, better reflective markings, and side guards to stop pedestrians and cyclists from being caught up under the rear wheels of trucks.

Trucks fitted with these safety features will save lives and prevent serious injuries to vehicle occupants, cyclists and pedestrians.   

Allowing wider trucks on our roads will also reduce the number of road freight trips businesses will need to take, saving them money and lowering their environmental impact.

Additionally, a number of safety devices and sensors will be able to be fitted to trucks without counting towards the width and length measurements.

This includes front and kerb view mirrors to better see around the front-left corner of the vehicle, external parts of camera monitor systems for improved indirect vision, blind spot sensors, and cross-view mirrors to see in front of bonneted vehicles.

This will ensure manufacturers and owners are not disadvantaged by fitting trucks with these road safety technologies.

The overall width limit for buses and trailers won’t change, however they will also benefit from more safety devices being excluded from width and length measurements.

While this change will allow manufactures to design and supply these safer trucks in Australia, operators should continue to engage with their registration authority to determine whether road access permits are required.

Changes under the Safer Freight Vehicles package will begin to come into effect from 1 October 2023.