An electronic alternative to pen and paper system finally gets green light
The first Electronic Work Diaries (EWD) have been approved in Australia and will be rolled out on December 1, the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) reports.
The EWD Policy Framework and Standards were developed in association with technology providers, transport operators, police and transport authorities in 2018 and were subject to comprehensive review and consultation.
Australian heavy vehicle drivers will now have a choice in how they record their work and rest hours, with NHVR-approved electronic recording systems providing an alternative to written work diaries.
“The work diary has been a requirement for fatigue-related heavy vehicles for more than half a century, and today more than 200,000 Written Work Diaries are used by heavy vehicle drivers each year,” federal transport minister Michael McCormack says
“This announcement will cut this red tape enabling drivers to record their work and rest hours by simply pressing a button, rather than spending time ruling lines and counting multiple time periods on multiple pieces of paper.”
At this stage, local Australian companies Step Global and Teletrac Navman are the first to meet the strict requirements.
The NHVR started the EWD ball rolling in 2018. Click here
Assistant Minister for Road Safety and Freight Transport Scott Buchholz says both companies are technology partners with a number of heavy vehicle operators, which should see a broad rollout across industry.
“This approval gives the providers the green light to work with their partners to use their products as an approved fatigue management system,” Buchholz says.
“We know both technology companies have a number of transport and logistics operators ready and eager to adopt the technology and we should see a good uptake across the industry.
“I congratulate Step Global and Teletrac Navman, this is a historic moment for Australia’s heavy vehicle industry and has the potential to make the work environments of our drivers safer and improve productivity for the industry.”
NHVR chair Duncan Gay says a company’s investment in EWDs is an investment in industry safety and productivity.
“Right now, industry is managing 60 million pages of work diary paper per year – this equates to 14 B-Double loads of red tape,” Gay says.
“Today’s announcement will enable companies and drivers to more effectively focus on managing their fatigue, rather than managing the book – which is an important step forward in delivering improved fatigue safety outcomes.
“As well as reducing time checking written work records on the side of the road, it also delivers huge cost and time savings for heavy vehicle businesses with many operators spending multiple days every week reconciling the written work book with internal systems.
“I look forward to welcoming other technology providers also submitting systems for approval.”
Drivers and operators interested in the benefits of using an EWD should contact an approved provider to arrange their access.
There is currently no application fee to apply for approval of an EWD and all approved EWDs will be listed on the NHVR website at www.nhvr.gov.au/ewd
Authorised officers and police will still be able to check an EWD, including recent records, at the roadside to ensure drivers aren’t exceeding legal driving limits.