Rego label removal to save millions: ATA

The Australian Trucking Association says it has welcomed the abolition of truck registration labels in three more states. The abolition will ultimately save the trucking industry millions of dollars a year.

From July 1, truck operators in New South Wales, Queensland and the ACT will no longer be required to display registration labels. Victoria will follow suit from 1 October 2018.

“The abolition of registration labels will deliver a valuable saving to the trucking industry in terms of both time and money,” ATA Chair Geoff Crouch said.

In 2017, the ATA surveyed 112 trucking operators to identify the key costs associated with registration labels. These included administrative time burdens, the time needed to change labels, and the cost of registration label holders.

“The research showed a cost saving to trucking operators of $15 million per year. Using this evidence, we were able to convince governments of the value of removing the labels,” Mr Crouch said.

“But we’re not going to stop there. The next step is for governments to allow truck registration to be paid monthly by direct debit or credit card. This would smooth the cashflow of small trucking businesses.

“Monthly registrations are already working in well in South Australia, where the option is available for both light and heavy vehicles,” he said.

Western Australia abolished truck registration labels in 2016, with Tasmania and South Australia following in 2017. The NT has so far decided to retain the labels.