Toolbox talk and RestSpace app boost truckie safety

Published Wednesday, 09 May, 2018 at 06:00 PM

Minister for Transport and Main Roads
The Honourable Mark Bailey

The heavy vehicle industry is set to benefit from additional enforcement-free Truckie Toolbox Talks across the state, which aim to educate drivers and operators.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said the government would continue working with the trucking industry to address any issues, and to foster a safer road network.

 “Safer truck drivers and vehicles mean a safer road network, which in turn benefits all Queenslanders,” Mr Bailey said.

 “Our transport inspectors will be at the Chevallum BP service station Thursday (10 May) morning, between 6am and 11am, for the Truckie Toolbox Talk.

 “We are setting up in Chevallum as the Bruce Highway is a major thoroughfare for heavy vehicles and is an ideal location for operators to stop in for a chat.

 “This is a great education-only opportunity for truck drivers and operators to speak with transport inspectors about a wide range of operational topics.

 “Our Transport Inspectors will be joined onsite by other Transport and Main Roads staff, as well as heavy vehicle industry representatives.

 “Together, we will be available to answer questions on a wide range of topics including regulations, accreditations, permits, notices, dangerous goods, mass limits, route planning, fatigue management, load restraints and chain of responsibility.”

 In more safety news for the heavy vehicle industry, Mr Bailey said a recently released smartphone app would assist truckies locate rest areas across the state and help manage their fatigue.

 “The RestSpace app will help truckies find heavy vehicle rest areas as they plan their journey. Driver fatigue is recognised as a significant safety risk,” Mr Bailey said.

 “In 2015, there were 53 fatigue-related crashes and in 2016, 44 fatigue-related crashes involved heavy freight vehicles.

 “The RestSpace app will allow truck drivers to plan their journey to incorporate rest stops, so they can take a break and check their vehicles and loads in a safe area.”

 Mr Bailey said app featured a database of about 2000 Queensland rest stops and a GPS routable base map, with a check-in and check-out function to let other heavy vehicle drivers know whether a rest stop was currently occupied.

“RestSpace allows users to access images and information about rest areas, including amenities and number of bays,” he said.

Other features of the app include:

  • GPS co-ordinates to locate specific rest areas, which can be used in external GPS devices to locate rest areas.
  • An estimated time of arrival to rest areas.
  • Filtered search capability for particular rest areas based on amenities.
  • Bookmarking capability to save favourite rest stops.
  • Reviews and provide ratings about rest areas for other heavy vehicle users.
  • Driver feedback system for users to make suggestions for improvements to the quality and accuracy of information already available about the rest areas.

 Mr Bailey said Transport and Main Roads had completed a comprehensive audit of existing rest stops to determine their location, infrastructure and features.

 The RestSpace app is available on Android and Apple devices this month.

 For more information on heavy vehicles, visit https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/business-industry/Heavy-vehicles.

 ENDS

 Media contact:          Carmel Robertson, 0439 347 875