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Truckies from overseas face tougher path to MC licence in SA

South Australia has made two key groundbreaking changes to the HV licensing of drivers from overseas and the pathway to upgrade from HR/HC to MC.

At a media conference in Adelaide today SA Transport Minister Tom Koutsantoni was joined by Delphine Mugridge, widow of Slim Mugridge, one of the drivers killed in a triple-fatality at Yalata on April 4, to announce the changes which are hoped will reduce the risk of further tragedies.

The changes are:

1. The overseas experience of HV drivers will not be recognised in SA (except for drivers from New Zealand) and they will all have to undergo the full training and assessment before gaining an MC licence in SA; and

2. Adoption of the highly effective three-year pilot (run by the South Australian Road Transport Association (SARTA) and one of its members with the Department) to progress HC drivers to MC. Instead of just holding, but not having to use, an HC licence for 12 months before going for an MC licence, there will now be an alternative option that will ensure better-trained and competent drivers. This will involve on the job buddy training within their employer’s operations.

HR licence holders will also be required to complete a minimum of 60 hours of logged supervised driving and additional learning components. Drivers with a HC licence will need to complete at least 50 hours of logged supervised driving with additional learning components.

These are minimum periods, said SARTA executive officer Steve Shearer.

“Some drivers will require 80 or 100 or more hours of training before they achieve the necessary competency,” Shearer said.

“They’ll all have to undergo at least the above minimum hours of in-truck logged training on the job with the employer under the guidance of an experienced supervising driver who is sitting right next to them the whole time, doing real work.”

“When and only when, the driver is considered ready, they will then have to undergo a practical driving assessment in an MC vehicle with an Authorised Examiner to obtain the MC licence. If they don’t pass the MC Licence assessment, they won’t get an MC licence.”

SARTA has pushed for changes to the licensing of HV drivers from overseas for some 15 years.

“But we were always met with arguments from officials that nothing can be done because of the 1939 Geneva Convention on Land Transport, under the control of the Department for Foreign Affairs, which allows overseas drivers to use their overseas licences here,” Shearer said.

“As usual SARTA did not give up and we kept pushing the issue at every opportunity within SA and nationally. In recent years the changing dynamic on the roads has increased the need and the pressure for change.

“We have been discussing this with Minister Koutsantonis for a while and working with him and the Department on how to address it, especially given the Geneva Convention.”

The triple fatality tragedy on April 4 and the highly successful petition run by Delphine Mugridge (she now has 19,602 signatures) has provided added momentum, Shearer said.

“Minister Koutsantonis and the SA Government have stepped forward and decided not to wait any longer for a ‘national solution’ and that SA would be the first state to take positive and effective action.

“We hope these initiatives will also be adopted interstate. SARTA will be working within the industry nationally, just as Minister Koutsantonis works with his interstate counterparts, to make that happen.

“As we said on April 5, the loss of three truck drivers in the head-on truck-truck crash west of Yalata was another tragic loss of life and we extend our sincere condolences to the families of those drivers and their friends and associates.

“Today’s important changes might give them some solace that the deaths of their family members have provided some positive reform.”

3 Comments

  1. That’s a step in the right direction. It’s not before time,however unless the other states and territory adopt the same rules overseas drivers will just continue on their merry way. Getting a licence in another state first,then moving to (and driving) in SA. What also needs to happen is current overseas drivers getting tested for competence and Australian road rules…by state authorities not driving schools. Sure,keep the driving schools for teaching but the actual ” is this person competent to drive a heavy vehicle on Australian roads” assessment needs to be done by state authorities…

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