One of many enjoyable aspects of working with National Road Carriers is seeing the dedication of members to running compliant transport operations. That is a key part of why they belong to NRC – they are passionate about keeping our roads and those who use them safe.  The members we talk to on a daily basis are clearly geared towards keeping road user charges (RUC) and Certificate of Fitness (COF) compliant, which stems from a desire to keep their staff, and all road users safe. 

So it can really frustrate those operators who work hard to be compliant when they see some in the industry running trucks without RUC paid, a current COF or even a Transport Services Licence (TSL). At NRC we are seeing an increase in members coming to us to advise of operators who are clearly freeloading and avoiding compliance.  We forward on the details to the regulatory team at NZTA so that these individuals are caught and sanctioned, and let the transport company know where we can.

The good news is, the vast majority of the road freight industry are doing the right thing – we have high-levels of compliance. This week I attended the Road Freight Safety Group in Wellington , a joint industry-NZTA forum tasked with improving commercial vehicle road safety outcomes in New Zealand. There the data compiled by the regulator across all of the means of intercepting heavy freight vehicles showed that operators playing the odds with RUC and COFs are in the very low percentages.

But in an economic downturn, there is increased pressure on operators to cut costs. A very few succumb to the temptation to save costs by cutting compliance – not maintaining trucks, avoiding COFs and not paying for RUC. This steals from the system that pays for our roads, and endangers the lives of all road users by operating unsafe vehicles. 

And as a band aid solution it doesn’t work – they will get caught. 

Increasingly, NZTA is using technology to increase its interception rates for roadside compliance. Weigh-in-motion sites throughout the country are a great example of this. Thousands of vehicles are scanned a day for current RUC and COF. Those who haven’t paid get flagged into the Commercial Vehicle Safety Centre, while the compliant get on with their journey unimpeded.

How can you help?

Firstly, if it’s a serious safety issue call Police as they are the only agency that can take immediate action or stop a vehicle that’s moving.

If you see any examples of non-compliance, report it to NZTA. NRC is happy to put these through on your behalf too but we will need specifics and you will need to be prepared to discuss what you have seen with NZTA or Police. 

But the best way to improve industry compliance to even higher levels is encourage transport operators to join National Road Carriers. We help with RUC, COF, TSL and all other regulations, as well as giving tips for preparing for audits when NZTA come knocking. We also advise transport businesses on processes to keep on top of fleet compliance.

Where ever you are driving this week – stay safe.

Justin Tighe-Umbers, Chief Executive, National Road Carriers Assn