The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) of NSW has announced plans to mandate all dangerous good tankers to be fitted with electronic stability control (ESC) by 2019.
Taking effect in the next five years, the proposal is the latest initiative from the NSW Government to improve safety on Australian roads.
Following on from reform introduced in January 2014, requiring all new dangerous goods trailers to be fitted with ESC, these latest changes are designed to improve safety for older vehicles.
“Transport for NSW and Roads and Maritime Services is committed to improving safety for all road users,” said Roads Minister Duncan Gay.
“We are pleased to be working with other government agencies to ensure safe and efficient journeys for all road users. I encourage all companies in the dangerous goods sector to embrace this standard and seek the earliest practical take-up on these vehicles.”
Robyn Parker, Environment Minister for NSW, said the five-year phase in would allow transport companies, equipment suppliers and installers to schedule work so each fleet would be compliant by 2019.
“All tanker trailers in use in NSW would be required to have ESC installed and operating by 1st January 2019,” Parker said.
“To monitor progress throughout the five-year period, tanker companies would be required to provide annual progress reports outlining the proportion of their fleet that had ESC installed.”
The EPA plans to then make these reports available to the public via the EPA website.
Rob Perkins, Executive Director of the National Bulk Tanker Association (NBTA) expressed industry support for the proposal.
“The NBTA has supported the adoption of ESC with roll stability for a number of years. There are undoubted safety benefits from the introduction of this braking technology, which has been adopted in Europe and more recently in the US for all heavy vehicles.”
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