The fuel crisis, rising costs, regulatory reform and the future of Australia’s tanker fleet dominated discussions at Bulk Tanker Day 2026, with over 200 industry stakeholders gathered at Melbourne’s iconic Flemington Racecourse on Wednesday 13 May for what has become the bulk tanker industry’s preeminent gathering and networking event each year.
This year’s event carried a noticeably sharper tone than previous years, with many speakers openly warning Australia is exposed to international supply disruptions, rising freight costs and shrinking domestic refining capacity. Despite the challenges facing operators, the event repeatedly reinforced the tanker industry’s reputation as one of Australia’s most collaborative and innovative freight sectors, with safety remaining at the centre of the conversation.
NBTA Chairman, Justin Keast, used his welcome speech to deliver a blunt warning about transport infrastructure policy – arguing the transport industry is being hit with a ‘triple whammy’ of rising costs, longer trip times and poor government decision-making. Using the recent impact of Melbourne’s West Gate Tunnel project as an example, he said operators were being forced into less efficient freight routes while also paying significantly high toll costs for the privilege.
Keast said this issue should not be viewed as Victorian-centric, but rather part of a broader national problem where governments nationwide lack sufficient understanding of road tanker freight operations.
“It was a fight we knew we were probably never going to win, but we did gain some respect along the way,” he said. “We have a level of incompetence in our governments, and we’ve got large corporate entities taking advantage of how ignorant our politicians are.”
Keast said the situation highlighted the importance of government and industry working together to ensure policymakers better understand the operational impacts of major infrastructure and regulatory decisions.
Alongside his advocacy message, Keast reflected on the evolution of Bulk Tanker Day itself, recalling its origins as a partnership between industry and emergency services aimed at improving emergency response. He said the annual event has since grown into a key industry forum for operators, suppliers and stakeholders to openly discuss shared challenges, share insights and collaborate on solutions for the future of the industry.
Keast also highlighted the NBTA’s ongoing work around Australian Standards, including industry-wide tanker safety data collection and reviews into tanker valve performance. He urged operators to become more actively involved in standards committees and working groups, warning that waiting until decisions are finalised leaves industry with little influence.
“People need to get more involved,” he said. “If you’re an operator, there’s no point sitting back waiting for people to make an announcement to then say, ‘This is ridiculous’.”
Opening address – Fire Rescue Victoria Chief Commissioner
Fire Rescue Victoria Chief Commissioner, Gavin Freeman, used his opening address to reinforce the importance of collaboration between emergency services and the bulk tanker industry in improving safety outcomes across Australia.
Freeman said strong relationships between operators and emergency responders were critical when dealing with dangerous goods incidents, stressing that “all the plans on the shelf” meant little without trust and communication between agencies and industry. He also praised the longstanding partnership between Fire Rescue Victoria and the National Bulk Tanker Association, explaining how it has significantly improved emergency response capability, training and incident prevention.
Freeman outlined the evolution of Fire Rescue Victoria since its formation in 2020, highlighting the organisation’s growing focus on diversity, technology and innovation. Freeman spoke about the increasing challenges presented by lithium-ion battery fires and emerging transport technologies while also showcasing the agency’s new electric fire appliance which has already responded to hundreds of incidents across Victoria.
Keynote address – Jeff Griffiths
Endeavour Group Managing Director, Jeff Griffiths, delivered a fiery yet emotional keynote address at Bulk Tanker Day by unleashing on government policy failures, rising costs and what he described as a “growing disconnect” between Canberra and the realities of regional Australia.
Drawing on more than five decades in the fuel industry, Griffiths warned Australia’s fuel supply chain is becoming increasingly fragile – criticising the nation’s declining fuel reserves, shrinking regional service station network and growing reliance on imported fuel.
“The big issue we’re all hearing about is Australia’s fuel stock situation,” he said. “If you talk about fuel stock measured in days, proven countries are keeping 90 days cover. Australia says it has 30, but the actual fact is it has high 20s.”
He argued that escalating construction costs, mounting compliance burdens and rising wages were rapidly making traditional regional fuel businesses unsustainable, with many independent operators either shutting down or being forced into automated, low-service business models.
Griffiths’ frustration with government policy was what dominated most of his presentation. At several points the veteran fuel operator openly vented his anger over energy policy and industrial relations – claiming it was a pattern of governments lacking practical understanding of how regional businesses operate.
Pertinently to the bulk tanker industry, he reserved particular criticism for Australia’s approach to fuel security and energy transition policy, arguing the country had abandoned its refining capability without a credible long-term plan. Griffiths also questioned whether Australia’s infrastructure was remotely prepared for large-scale electric vehicle adoption, citing concerns around charging capacity, battery disposal and fire risks.
Fuel supply panel – From Terminal to Tank
Griffiths’ address segued into Bulk Tanker Day’s first panel discussion, where warnings about Australia’s fuel security, regional supply vulnerability and growing pressure on Australia’s tanker network dominated debate as industry leaders reflected on the ongoing global impacts on fuel supply chains.
Chaired by NBTA Executive Member and JLP Transport CEO, Andrew Galligan, the panel brought together Australasian Convenience and Petroleum Marketers Association CEO, Rowan Lee, Tranzliquid owner and Director, Greg Pert, Simpsons Fuels Operations Manager, Haydn Simpson, and Riordan Fuels General Manager, Brent Squires, for a frank discussion about how the industry responded when panic buying and supply fears surged earlier this year.
Lee moved to calm fears of an outright fuel shortage, insisting Australia was not running out of fuel but was exposed to global pricing and shipping pressures due to it competing in an international commodity market. He revealed some fuel shipments were rapidly redirected from overseas markets during the crisis, while government agencies struggled to manage public messaging around supply security.
“It was never going to be really a supply issue,” Lee said. “It was always going to be a price issue. We are getting in a global market for a commodity.”
The strongest criticism again came from Griffiths who accused governments of failing to properly understand the realities of regional fuel supply and national energy security. He said panic buying led to some retail sites experiencing sales spikes of more than 20 per cent overnight – placing enormous strain on tanker fleets, scheduling teams and regional depots.
“The moment that the perceived shortages occurred, we had a 30 per cent increase in the average site,” he said. “Our bigger sites jumped to 50 per cent.”
Griffiths described widespread fear among customers, farmers and small businesses. He said the crisis exposed how dependent Australia has become on overseas fuel supply chains, and warned the country needs far greater sovereign storage and refining capability.
“The issue became logistics,” he said. “We had sites running out because the tanks just didn’t have the capacity.”
Squires echoed Griffiths’ concerns, explaining how the crisis highlighted the importance of fuel security to Australia’s food production sector.
“Fuel is critical,” he said. “You need to have fuel to make food.”
Simpson praised the industry’s operational response, saying despite intense pressure there were remarkably few incidents across tanker fleets during the period.
However, he did highlight the spread of misinformation and how media coverage contributed to customer anxiety despite supply remaining available.
“The media really hurt us,” Simpson said. “The customer was hearing something different to what the reality was on the ground.”
Pert said the crisis reinforced the need for better infrastructure, higher productivity and more strategic fuel storage planning across Australasia.
Across the panel, there was also a broad agreement that liquid fuels (particularly diesel) would remain critical to Australia’s economy for decades, even as energy transition policies accelerated.
Connected Drivers for Safer Outcomes: WHG Telematics
Moving away from the fuel crisis, WHG Telematics Director, Dylan Hartley, said the bulk tanker sector continues to quietly lead the heavy transport industry in safety, innovation and technology adoption, despite often flying “under the radar”.
Speaking during the Connected Drivers for Safer Outcomes session introduced by FBT Transwest Managing Director, Cameron Dunn, Hartley highlighted the increasing role of connected technology, artificial intelligence and wearable devices will play in improving safety, compliance and operational efficiency across the transport sector. He praised the bulk tanker industry for historically embracing innovation, noting some of Australia’s earliest Performance-Based Standards (PBS) combinations and B-double applications originated within the tanker sector.
The presentation focused heavily on the future of telematics, AI-assisted fatigue management and wearable technology, with Hartley arguing operators needed to “stretch technology further” as economic pressures, labour shortages and regulatory requirements continued to intensify. Hartley also warned freight theft is becoming a growing issue across Australia’s heavy vehicle sector, revealing WHG had recovered more than $11 million in stolen assets since January last year.
According to Hartley, the industry’s future will increasingly depend on integrating smarter technologies to improve driver safety, compliance, fleet productivity and operational decision-making.
Driving Productivity – PBS and Fluid Slosh
Industry engineers and PBS specialists then used a technical panel discussion to examine how PBS and fluid slosh modelling could unlock greater productivity for Australia’s tanker fleet without compromising safety. Chaired by NBTA Executive Director, Anthony Germanchev, the session featured Les Bruzsa and Saizo Takeuchi from the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) along with Nick Farmer and Marcus Coleman from Tiger Spider and Ben Blasetti from Tieman Tankers.
Germanchev noted the bulk tanker sector had historically led PBS innovation in Australia, with the first PBS-approved vehicle built for tanker operations more than two decades ago. Meanwhile, Bruzsa revealed Australia now has more than 32,000 PBS combinations operating nationally – more than double original projections – and suggested it may be time to review some long-standing stability and rollover assumptions used within the scheme.
Several panellists argued current modelling requirements around liquid slosh and rollover thresholds could unnecessarily reduce payload productivity, despite modern tanker fleets operating with increasingly advanced safety technology. Tiger Spider representatives Farmer and Coleman said the industry needed more practical, evidence-based approaches that better reflected real-world operating conditions, while Blasetti highlighted the complexity fuel distributors face when managing varying fuel loads and compartment configurations.
The panel broadly agreed future PBS reforms would need to balance productivity gains, evolving technology and safety outcomes for the tanker sector.
Safety, Compliance and Regulation
Safe Load Program (SLP) Operating Manager, Greg Royston, explained the new ownership and management structure for SLP and outlined a major expansion of the SLP compliance framework, including new real-time monitoring systems, upgraded safety training and increased scrutiny of non-compliant operators. Royston said more than 35,000 tanker inspections had been conducted nationally since 2016, warning the rise of inexperienced single-truck operators remained a major concern for the industry.
National Transport Commission Executive Leader, Aaron de Rozario, discussed ongoing national productivity reforms including Higher Mass Limits, streamlined access approvals and greater harmonisation of Dangerous Goods regulations. He argued Australia’s freight productivity challenge could only be solved through better integration between regulation, infrastructure and technology systems.
NRSPP Australia’s Jerome Carslake introduced the growing industry focus on psychosocial safety before handing to Proactive IR Consultant, Grant Lawrence, who detailed how psychosocial safety is rapidly becoming a major regulatory focus, particularly around fatigue, stress, isolation and leadership culture in high-risk industries like road transport. He urged operators to take a more proactive approach to mental health management rather than treating it as a compliance ‘box-ticking’ exercise.
Technology and Equipment – Wide Single Tyres
Transport for NSW Executive Director of Freight, Scott Greenow, provided an update on the growing use of wide single tyres within PBS, highlighting the potential productivity, safety and sustainability benefits for the heavy vehicle industry.
Greenow said recent policy changes now permit certain wide single tyre configurations under New South Wales’ heavy vehicle access framework, particularly for PBS-approved combinations operating under strict safety conditions. He said analysis undertaken by Transport for NSW showed wide single tyres can deliver increased payload capacity, improved fuel efficiency and lower rolling resistance, while also enhancing vehicle stability – particularly for high-centre-of-gravity applications such as tankers and livestock transport.
Furthermore, Greenow explained how the technology also offers potential maintenance and environmental benefits through reduced tyre wear, lower fuel consumption and simplified tyre management systems. He showcased a new 26-metre PBS livestock B-double design developed using wide single tyres and described it as an example of how innovative vehicle design could unlock greater productivity for the tanker sector.
The final panel of Bulk Tanker Day was chaired by Brodie Tieman of Tieman Tankers, and focused on the growing role wide single tyre technology could play in improving safety, productivity and efficiency across Australia’s tanker fleet. The session featured representatives from Haulmax Tyres, Hendrickson, SAF-Holland, Saputo Dairy and the NHVR.
Much of the discussion centred on the regulatory challenges limiting wider adoption of the technology in Australia, despite growing evidence of its benefits and significant advancements in tyre design, testing and performance, as outlined by David Naughton. Hendrickson Executive Manager – Engineering, Andrew Pendlebury, highlighted the increasing role of tyre pressure monitoring systems and suspension technology in future PBS vehicle development, while SAF-Holland Product, Engineering and Technical Manager – Australia, Nemanja Miletic, said current tyre inflation regulations would need reform to properly support higher axle loads and emerging electric vehicle technology.
Saputo Dairy’s Colin Tomelty encouraged the industry to continue embracing innovation and early adoption of new technologies, while Bruzsa argued Australia is lagging behind Europe in wide single tyre uptake despite the demonstrated productivity, safety and environmental advantages.
