The National Bulk Tanker Association’s (NBTA) 2025 Bulk Tanker Day featured an array of insight and presentations on different topics within the transport industry.
NBTA Chairman, Justin Keast, opened the day by reflecting on how far the industry has come since the first Bulk Tanker Day in 2009.
He also paid tribute to NBTA Executive Member, Mark Anderson, whose leadership has driven meaningful change across the sector.
“Justin spoke about the power of partnerships and the importance of getting the basics right, while reaffirming the NBTA’s commitment to doing just that,” said NBTA Executive Director, Anthony Germanchev.
This year’s Bulk Tanker Day also saw a significant milestone achieved as the NBTA and Australian and New Zealand Council For Fire and Emergency Services (AFAC) renewed their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
This formalised the two organisations’ ongoing collaboration on joint training and support for the TERP in-field workshops; the sharing of incident data to measure safety performance and identify trends; the DG101 education platform; and the jointly hosted NBTA Annual Conference and Bulk Tanker Day.
In his opening address, AFAC CEO, Rob Webb, signed the renewed MoU as a demonstration of the importance of partnerships which push to improve safety across the sector.
The ‘Technology, Telematics and the Freight Task’ session, chaired by FBT Transwest Managing Director, Cameron Dunn, opened Bulk Tanker Day with an instructive look at the digital tools reshaping industry.
Austroads General Manager, Gavin Hill, detailed the evolution of regulatory telematics from Electronic Work Diaries to advanced data-sharing initiatives.
His presentation underscored how technology is enabling smarter compliance, access and policy development.
He also acknowledged the NBTA’s active role in current trials and tunnel access discussions and launched a survey for the Dangerous Goods sector.
The real-world applications of artificial intelligence (AI) were also explored, particularly by WHG Technologies in the way of predictive maintenance, route optimisation and early risk detection.
“The session made one thing clear: the future of safer, more efficient freight isn’t coming,” Germanchev said.
“It’s already here.”
Other sessions at the event tackled structural changes within the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR).
NHVR Acting COO, Michelle Tayler, delivered a keynote address with a view on what lies ahead for the organisation.
“Following the appointment of Nicole Rosie as CEO, who will commence in the role on July 1, the NHVR is in the midst of a pivotal moment in time – for both it and the broader freight sector as a whole,” Germanchev said.
“Nicole will take over from Sal Petroccitto, whose decade-long tenure was defined by his commitment to ‘listening to industry’ a principle that helped shape the NHVR’s collaborative approach to regulation.”
Tayler also outlined the NHVR’s evolving strategic focuses, including smarter collaborative regulation favours education over penalties, embracing digital tools to improve compliance and productivity and strengthening partnerships with industry.
She also reinforced the importance of transparency and trust between regulators and operators and highlighted the NBTA as a key partner in delivering practical safety outcomes.
“Her message was clear: the next chapter for the NHVR builds on a solid foundation and will be defined by renewal, partnership and continued progress,” Germanchev said.
The mid-morning ‘What the Data Is Telling Us’ session chaired by Toll Group National Transport Compliance Manager – Fuel & Gas, Mitchell Lancaster, brought together three of the industry’s biggest advocates for safety to explore their findings from research.
NTI Transport Research Manager, Adam Gibson, presented highlights from the latest National Truck Accident Research Centre (NTARC) Major Accident Investigation Report, offering an insight into the trends shaping on road safety
“Distraction continues to be a growing contributor to serious incidents, with Adam urging the industry to take proactive steps in identifying and mitigating driver attention risks,” Germanchev said.
“He highlighted the importance of managing change in your business and not simply relying on the introduction of technology to improve safety standards.
“He encouraged a focus on the importance of the driver and their critical role in safety.”
NHVR Chief Engineer, Les Bruzsa, delivered an update on the next phase of the Performance-Based Standards (PBS) network, PBS 2.0.
His presentation revealed how PBS continues to evolve as a key enabler of safe and productive vehicle design.
“New configurations, streamlined assessments and a stronger focus on emerging technologies are all part of the NHVR’s efforts to ensure PBS keeps pace with innovation while maintaining rigorous safety outcomes,” Germanchev said.
Lee Stringer, who leads the Safe Load Program (SLP), showcased the program’s digital transformation.
“From real-time vehicle and driver data at terminal gantries to AI-powered decision tools, SLP is setting a new benchmark for integrated AI and technology into their safety systems,” Germanchev said.
“Together, the session showed that data is not just for reporting but is for driving change for the better.”
The ‘Driving Productivity by Improving Safety’ session, chaired by Normec Managing Director, Jason Stables, saw the launch of two new safety initiatives.
Gibson returned to the stage to present a case study on managing steep descent risk based on a collaborative project with Booth Transport.
Drawing on site-specific and real-world examples, the session highlighted how poor descent control continues to be a contributing factor in catastrophic incidents.
“Adam emphasised that the path to creating safer descents isn’t just about equipment advances, it is also about training and understanding the limitations of both the driver and the vehicle, as well as the decent itself,” Germanchev said.
Germanchev presented early findings from the association’s near-miss data project.
He shared various examples of how near-miss trends are already shaping safety conversations between fleet managers and drivers.
The NBTA also launched a dedicated project website and online dashboard for participating fleets.
The platform enables real-time access to fleet-level insights and benchmarking, giving operators a powerful new tool to guide safety improvements and track progress.
Germanchev expressed his gratitude to partners and the industry at large for contributing to the event.
“Thank you to everyone who joined us for Bulk Tanker Day 2025 and helped make it a standout event for the bulk tanker sector,” he said.
“We’re proud to be part of a community that continues to prioritise safety, partnerships and progress.”
