Background
The first Log Transport Safety Accord was signed by representatives of the NZ Forest Owners Assn, Log Transport Safety Council, Road Transport Forum and NZ Farm Forestry Assn in New Plymouth on 20th September 2021. New signatories were added, welcoming the Forestry Industry Contractors Association and the Forestry Industry Safety Council.
The updated Accord has many enhancements, but possibly the one with the potential to make a step-change is the provision for an “Annual Log Transport Safety Improvement Plan” (LTSIP). The LTSIP will be reviewed annually in September. It will allow the industry to identify improvements and future directions, debate them and then incorporate them into agreed practice as and when appropriate. We expect initiatives such as e-RUCs, electronic log books, certification programs to be discussed and eventually introduced as standard to the log transportation sector.
The update to the Accord is the end result of input from the NZFOA Transport Committee, the Log Transport Safety Council and associated signatories.
