The National Transport Commission (NTC) has called for better cooperation between industry and government in formulating national standards for the implementation of in-vehicle telematics.
The technology helps firms electronically monitor their vehicle fleets, drivers and cargo with on-board GPS devices and has already been partially adopted in the logistics industry.
The NTC recently released a paper stating that better cooperation within the industry would lead to better safety, productivity and a lower carbon footprint.
“By 2030 we’d like to see 90 per cent of the road freight sector voluntarily using in-vehicle technologies, with information routinely shared between supply chain parties to drive efficiencies and proactively manage fatigue, speed and overloading risks,” said NTC Chief Executive Nick Dimopoulos.
The NTC believes that a national strategy will provide a clear and consistent policy for technology use and give the industry the confidence it needs to invest in new systems. Any strategy should lay out a set of national guidelines on standards and regulations for implementation of the technology.
Some regulatory measures do exist for telematics within the industry, such as the Intelligent Access Program – which was set up to encourage operators to keep off restricted routes – but at present they are all voluntary.
