Digital truck monitoring

Digital speed, load and duration monitors may be fitted to heavy trucks to try to pick up rogue drivers as part of the Federal Government's $70 million road safety programme.

The proposal contained in an announcement on the safety programme, by the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Anthony Albanese, specifies that GPS systems and digital tachographs should be trialled to assess their use in attempts to catch drivers who break industry and road use rules.

The proposal has been supported by the Australian Trucking Association's Chief Executive,(ATA) Stuart St Clair, who says that many truck operators already have such equipment installed for safety and productivity purposes. The ATA has TNT, Toll and Linfox among its members and these companies count for most of 365,000 trucks operating in Australia.