Fair and transparent regulation of telematics was fast becoming a priority to encourage adoption.
This the position of the National Road Transport Association as it relayed its concerns in a submission to a discussion paper on telematics to the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator.
According to NatRoad there is a case to be made in keeping law enforcement and data collection separate.
“There is no doubt that telematics has the potential to make operators lives easier by improving safety, efficiency and productivity,” said NatRoad CEO Warren Clark.
“In fact, NatRoad has partnered with Teletrac Navman to promote the adoption of telematics by members across Australia,” he said.
“We are generally opposed to the use of telematic data, collected under the provisions of the HVNL, for any purpose other than one clearly authorised under the HVNL.
“Of course that doesn’t include private arrangements that are lawfully and transparently done with the consent of all parties involved.”
A lack of trust is currently a significant barrier to greater uptake of telematics according to Clark.
“This impedes the significant advances in safety, efficiency and productivity that the widespread adoption could deliver,” he continued.
Clark said labour shortages and recent significant weather events made the national freight task more challenging than ever before.
“The challenge is to drive the uptake of telematics with regulation and enforcement of mass and dimension access conditions that is transparent and fair,” he said.
NatRoad more recently urged supermarkets to better support supply chain.