A compliance review of the Heavy Vehicle Competency Based Assessment (HVCBA) scheme has uncovered “serious breaches”, resulting in four NSW assessors having their accreditation cancelled, confirmed Transport for NSW (TfNSW).
One experienced driver assessor, who did not want to be named but is an expert in the state’s accreditation process, said this could have serious implications for the validity of the heavy vehicle licences that the assessors had signed off on.
TfNSW, however, wouldn’t elaborate on how the accreditation cancellations would impact the drivers assessed.
“This is an active project and we are risk assessing the licence data for the last 12 months related to these assessors,” said a TfNSW spokesperson.
“With around 300 active assessors in NSW and robust processes in place to monitor compliance, this is a very small number. We have confidence in the heavy vehicle licensing system and pathways.”
The spokesperson said that due to the sensitive nature of these matters and commercial-in-confidence considerations, specific details of the breaches and assessment volumes cannot be disclosed.
But they did go on to say the assessors were found to have breached regulatory requirements by failing to adhere strictly to assessment guidelines and procedures and maintain accurate and truthful assessment records.
The breaches were identified through TfNSW’s compliance and audit processes, which include data analysis, stakeholder feedback, and targeted investigations based on risk indicators.
In a statement to Big Rigs, TfNSW said each assessor had varying lengths of service and assessment volumes.
“While individual histories cannot be disclosed, Transport maintains detailed records and monitors performance across the sector.”
Mick Humphries, an HVCBA Assessor in NSW and Director of the Australian Driver Trainers Association, said the removal of the accreditation would only be a last resort with “very strong” evidence and findings of “quite severe” breaches of scheme requirements.
“I’m glad that Transport is out there doing increased auditing – I think it’s a really positive step,” said Humphries who was on his way to audit one of the Queensland assessors that he manages when Big Rigs called.
“I know the vast majority of my associates do a really good job. When you see people that have done the wrong thing and they’re getting busted, it shows you that regulator’s taking the system seriously.
“The current management of TfNSW is probably the best we’ve seen for a long time in terms of ensuring that all the schemes they run, are running correctly and well.
“The current directors have a genuine commitment to seeing that happen. But also, the auditing and monitoring team they have now is actually very good.
“I’ve been quite impressed with them, because I bump into them on the road a fair bit, and they’re really doing a good job.”
Humphries, however, concedes that it’s feasible there could be drivers on the road today that shouldn’t be there as a result of the alleged assessment breaches.
“Regulators in every state have had this happen, and it’s not just with private providers, either.
“It’s happened with their own staff, and they do actually have protocols in place where they go through, and they’ll try and identify the highest risk areas and also hopefully be able to allow people that aren’t in that risk to just maintain what they’re doing.”
Humphries said he retains total confidence in the HVCBA scheme, providing drivers are assessed correctly but is also looking forward to the adoption of new national standards currently being developed by Austroads.
“In the past it’s always been conceptual but now there is actually assessment documents and timelines that are being set with the state regulators in terms of adoption,” said Humphries, who is assisting with consultation on the project.
In 2017, 678 WA licence holders had their licences suspended in part or in full following an investigation into truck driver licencing by the Corruption and Crime Commission and the Department of Transport.
The activity took place at Mines West Driving School (Mines West), owned by then-approved assessor Previn Narayanan and contracted by DoT to conduct Practical Driving Assessments (PDAs) for heavy vehicles.
New driving assessments were conducted for 370 of the suspended licence holders, and 201 applicants, more than half, failed their reassessment.
Queensland followed suit a year later with its own clean-out. After a Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) audit of Brisbane-based Aegis Training Services, the state revoked more than 250 multi-combination licences on the grounds that assessments hadn’t met required standards.