The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator will launch Operation Melbourne Market for the third time to reinforce safety compliance after previous operations finds 70% of intercepted heavy vehicle drivers at Melbourne Market to be non-compliant. In late 2022 and early 2024 significant non-compliances related to loading, mass and mechanical breaches were identified.
NHVR Chief Operations manager Paul Salvati said, “The number of drivers and operators found to be doing the wrong thing in some capacity during the previous operations conducted at the Melbourne Market is a major cause of concern”.
During last year’s operation, NHVR officers issued 32 infringements and 28 defect notices over the course of two days. “We are finding many operators who attend the Market don’t realise that they are part of the Chain of Responsibility (CoR) and aren’t aware they need to comply with the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL),” said Mr Salvati.
The aim of this third operation is to reinforce safety and regulatory adherence for industry who are coming and going from the market and to prevent serious incidents from occurring. With approximately 2,750 businesses using Melbourne Market as a base and more than 2,000 individual fruit and vegetable buyers, it is crucial that operators maintain the highest safety standards to ensure that everyone utilising the market is kept safe.