Remote truckers back on the road after safety concerns
A major outback transport company sidelined over compliance and safety issues is back on the road after the peak heavy vehicle regulator said it had agreed to address its concerns.
A major Australian transport company, Hawkins Transport, has been permitted to resume operations following safety and compliance issues that led to a company-wide shutdown. The company, which operates about 70 road trains delivering supplies to remote Indigenous communities in northern Queensland, warned that the shutdown was costing the business $500,000 per week and jeopardizing essential freight services.
After legal proceedings against the regulator, Hawkins Transport has agreed to address the concerns and must have its entire fleet inspected, with the inspections to be completed at Mount Isa, approximately 500km from the company's base in Normanton. The Federal Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) lifted the prohibition notices after the company demonstrated a pathway to resolve the identified safety issues, emphasizing the importance of reliable freight services for the affected communities.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
