On The Road Aussie Trucking Podcast

279. Australian Trucking News and Opinion with Mike Williams and Guests. No fancy editing this week. I'm on the road and so I don't have all my recording and editing e=gear with me. This is as raw as it gets! Trev and I kick round a few trucking subjects and please support the Lets Get Rural Christmas raffle. https://www.raffletix.com.au/letsgetural-xmas25

278. In The Weeds with Mike and Trev. General Industry View on the Heavy Vehicle (Mass, Dimension and Loading) National Amendment Regulation 2025The 2025 amendments to the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL), including the specific updates to mass, dimension, and loading rules under the accompanying regulations, have elicited a cautiously positive but predominantly disappointed response from the Australian trucking and road freight industry. Stakeholders, including major bodies like the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) and the National Road Transport Association (NatRoad), view the package as a modest step forward in simplifying compliance and enhancing safety, but criticize it for falling short of the "first principles" reform promised after the six-year review process that began in 2018. The changes—such as slight increases to general mass limits, easier Higher Mass Limits (HML) declarations, and more flexible loading via Safety Management Systems (SMS)—are seen as productivity boosters, yet the overall package is lambasted for lacking ambition, particularly on access reforms and fatigue management flexibility. Key Issues the Industry Has with the 2025 HVNL Amendments(Mass, Dimension & Loading + broader package)# Issue What the industry says 1 Lack of ambition / watered-down reform After 7 years of review, the final package is seen as “incremental tinkering” rather than the promised “first-principles rewrite”. Many big ideas from 2018–2024 consultations were dropped or heavily diluted. 2 Productivity gains are too small Minor mass/dimension increases are welcomed but described as “barely noticeable”. No meaningful lift in general-access limits or widespread Higher Productivity Vehicle rollout. 3 Access reform largely abandoned The original goal of eliminating 90 % of permits by 2028 is gone. Operators still face slow, inconsistent permit processes across councils and states. 4 Fatigue management flexibility removed Plans to reduce the number of work/rest options and give more genuine flexibility were scrapped late in the process, leaving the old rigid hours largely intact. 5 Accreditation & SMS changes risk more red tape The new “alternative compliance” and mandatory SMS requirements are complex and costly for small operators; many fear it will add paperwork rather than reduce it. 6 Regulations still not finalised The primary law has passed, but the detailed mass, dimension, loading and fatigue regulations are still being drafted. Industry is nervous about last-minute surprises and insufficient consultation time (some want minimum 42 days). 7 Implementation timeline too tight Mid-2026 start with staged rollout leaves only ~6–12 months for fleets to retrain drivers, update systems, and renegotiate contracts. 8 No clear accountability or KPIs No legislated forward work program or measurable targets (e.g., permit reduction, safety outcomes), so industry doubts further improvements will actually happen.

277. Australian Trucking News and Opinion with Mike Williams and Guests. No guest this week sorry I've been a bit time poor! I have a bit on length laws and how that affects sleeper sizes. (I know, old news right!) I've stitched in my weekly bit with Chris Smith on 2SM Sydney and Jason is in for the news and STTA. enjoy the show. BTW I do get a bit fired up during news.

276. In the Weeds with Caleb Bryce.

275. Australian Trucking News and Opinion with Mike Williams and Guests. This week on the show Trev and Mike start talking about Chain Of Responsibility and end up in the weeds talking about how long it takes to get a road approved, funded and constructed. you will be blown away by how long some of our road projects have been in the works for! Mikes weekly bit with Chris Smith on 2SM talking about how fast we should be going on our roads, EV's and how they should pay their way etc. Dougie in with the news plus a really thought provoking STTA.

274. Mike gets into the weeds this week with Rob Free. The NHVR has kicked off a new podcast called 'Whats Your 20" Rob Co-hosts the show with another experienced driver Sarah as they do interviews and present information to the Australian road transport industry.

273. *SPECIAL* Mike with Guest Fiona Booth. This is a conversation recorded on Sunday 23rd November 2025. I don't often break from convention and throw in an extra show but this one is important because it's time sensitive. We only have a short time to put in submissions to the NTC about reforms to the NHVAS and I'm amazed we've got to this point without widespread outrage. Please have a listen and put in a quick submission. It's not that hard to do.

272. Australian Trucking News and Opinion with Mike Williams and Guests. This wee Mike talked with Chris Smith on radio 2SM about the issues with Australia's fuel stockpile and the consequences of running out of fuel. plus a bit about "Moolies" (WTF). Trev comes int to chew the fat on some trucking issues and Caleb joins in with Mike for the news.

271. Australian Trucking News and Opinion with Mike Williams and Guests. This week we get in the weeds with Trev talking about the proposed Master Code and what that means for drivers.

270. Australian Trucking News and Opinion with Mike Williams and Guests.

268. Australian Trucking News and Opinion with Mike Williams and Guests. Sorry for the lac of news content over the last two weeks. I'm sure you all understand it's not ideal trying to put together a show while I'm on the road. We'll be back to normal news etc on next Saturday's show. in the interim you're stuck with Trev and I talking about "stuff"

267. Australian Trucking In the weeds with Jerry Browne-Sarre. This week the conversation Mike had with Jerry Browne-Sarre, a bloke who has participated in some of the big events n the history of trucking in Australia. He's been an owner driver, employer and now semi retired in Victoria. He still chimes in on Social media with sometimes pointed and pragmatic views that strike a chord with many. I thank him for his time.

266. Australian Trucking News and Opinion with Mike Williams and Guests. I'm off having a bit of fun with the grandchildren so no news this week. Mick D with Something to Talk About and I had a chat with Trev Warner about the low level of the fuel stockpile here at home in Australia.

265. In The Weeds with Rob Grieves. The discussion this week is all about FSD (Full Self Driving (Supervised)). That is Tesla FSD. What it is, How it works and what it means for driving down the track. Rob Grieves owns and drives a Tesla with FSD. I always love to talk with people with first hand experience. We also discuss what can only be described as a 'hit piece' by 60 minutes on FSD.

264. Australian Trucking News and Opinion With Mike Williams and Trev Warner. this week Trev and I get stuck right into one news piece. Truckies flouting the law and running hot! Well slap my arse and call me Sally! Who knew we had operators who will have a crack and bend the rules! Also, The memorial service was held today at Tarcutta there was a great long list of names added to the wall this year. This industry does have a butchers bill. One of the names added to the wall was my mate Barry "Sleepy" Grimson. Barry is on the remembrance wall, he didn't actually lose his life on the road. He did spend his life on the road and contributed to the industry not least of which was his role at Razorback. Barrys story is on the Copy Southbound Podcast feed an of course the razorback story is available for free on this feed.

263. In the weeds with Mike and Trev Warner.This week (as boring as it is) Trev and i get stuck into the HVNL review bill. come on the journey into the weeds with us if you brave enough! link below to the bill if you need a hand to get to sleep https://kor01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.parliament.qld.gov.au%2FWork-of-the-Assembly%2FTabled-Papers%2Fdocs%2F5825t1608%2F5825t1608.pdf&data=05%7C02%7C%7C97c74c8371414e1523a908de0e40e020%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638963869006217661%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=3okfbiWQktSzxlfhOVy2uzC6WDdLjb1dmu1u85X1dhc%3D&reserved=0

262. Australian Trucking News and Opinion With Mike Williams and Guests. I have a bit of a say on whether the Australian trucking representative bodies really care about drivers or if they just pay lip service to the idea. Some of you will know I do a spot on 2SM in Sydney each week, this week Chris and I talked about the proposal to reduce speed limits on rural roads amongst other things so I've included that for you. Jason Scott is in for the news and something to talk about and finally Andrea Hamilton Vaughan joins in with some powernap stuff and a forum she's put together for November 12th go to orange.nsw.gov.au/safetyforum to have a look at that. You can attend in person at the Orange Civic Center or via teams on you computer. Finally this is the link to the SE freeway hill decent video i was talking about with Jason https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE-cS9_0CRA

261. Australian Trucking. In the Weeds with Rod Hannifey. It's Wednesday evening and you get to listen to a conversation with a guest. No subject off limits. This week Mike has trucking identity, road safety advocate, former National Road Freighters Association President, professional driver and good friend on for his take on a few things. Hope you get something from it.

260. Australian Trucking News and Opinion with Mike Williams and Guests. Just ask us what we really think and we'll tell you. But, be warned, you might not like the answer!

259. Wednesday Extra with Mike Williams and Trev Warner. Lets talk about some serious stuff and get into the weeds on things we all think but no-one will say.

258. Australian Trucking News and Opinion with Mike Williams and Guests.This week on the show Dougie chimes in on the News, Caleb has Something To Talk About and Marcus Cosgrove and I have a chat about the review of the NHVL and what we're not getting after years of talkfests. Marcus attended the QLD Parliament to make a presentation on behalf of the College of Road Safety. we also get into the weeds on a bit of other stuff as well. shortcuts to the stuff we were on about appear below. https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/Work-of-Committees/Committees/Committee-Details?cid=272&id=4548 https://www.nhvr.gov.au/files/media/document/515/202412-1546-heavy-vehicle-productivity-plan-2025-2030.pdf

257. Australian Trucking News and Opinion with Mike Williams and Guests. This week we introduce Jason Scott to the team with the news, we have a double barrel something to talk about and Trev joins in to learn my latest news. It seem we're all just cogs in the machine, myself included.

Australian Trucking News and Opinion with Mike Williams and Guests. Caleb with Something To Talk About, Dougie joins me for the news. Trev and i get into the weeds on all sorts of stuff and a comment fro Gord McGill in the US about trucking recruitment and driver facing cameras. It's a bit spicy!!

255. Australian Trucking News and Opinion with Mike Williams and Guests. We're back from Alice and getting into it. I want to welcome Caleb and Dougie to the show. They have volunteered to contribute and offer their voice to the conversation. After the news I have a chat with Anita Donlon fro Lets Get Rural about what shes been up to and their awesome motorbike fund raiser. this is the link to get some tickets. https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.raffletix.com.au%2Fkawasakiz900rs2025%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExWHhzakNvRFV3c2twb1NSNgEe2OFpvcH72fDfYpZRET-2RJoJ2xxqLCdwl-NH5L1IVjBfwZbdyl4ckyXNDjQ_aem_SGZ-UpCugJYoSgiV_VdljA&h=AT0O5jCcyi2pGdjIPvbyZg1BNKGuh0lb2Ke5RcDlI47aZAIzr-zk3YTr2-FKrnXQ0oAKe1Pzdddo6_FG8MQg_KDQyfZ3lOxAcH7HIKAeC6RExpog4ap0aUiz6ZGDFlA7x6K2VRydRkxsPDFr&__tn__=-UK-R&c[0]=AT3Nlt57nrP_phz2r4ADdhEjPrEgXd1QxaDNBxVfC1BcsK3v72qf3oh-qyLARDhazEejotLemJ4B7p4wntCdA0J2TgUbxde5vElzKA4Hgsw04ma-2qfHQdniQacTfv6HtX-hbcxBMOekF7qszk9YAihLPekLzHxaDzeye1LrLYqw6PlYF2Bq7jL9unP0oQdxbzx3WAHGhLi-DtLJ0Oc6AEZc

254. Australian Trucking News and Opinion with Mike WIlliams and Guests

253. Australian Trucking News and Opinion with Mike Williams and Guests

252. Australian Trucking News and Opinion with Mike Williams and Guests.

251. Australian Trucking News and Opinion with Mike Williams and Guests

250. Australian Trucking News and Opinion with Mike Williams and guests Trev Warner, Andy Neil, Bob McMillan and a couple of tracks from Sweet Talk

249. Australian trucking News and Opinion with Mike Williams and Guests.

248. Australian Trucking News and Opinion with Mike Williams and Guests

247. Australian Trucking News & Opinion with Mike Williams and Guests. Welcome back to the podcast. Apologies for the sound quality and editing this week I have been a bit tied up and haven't been able to give it the attention it normally gets. So..... I haven't had a listen to it in its finished form. I'm hoping I haven't missed a "hot mic" moment! who knows! Ok, such as it is here we go.

246. Australian Trucking News and Opinion with Mike Williams and Guests

245. Australian Trucking News and Opinion with Mike Williams and Guests

244. Australian Trucking News and Opinion with Mike Williams and Guests including Paul Biagini, Trev Warner, Bob McMillan, Andy Neil, Linc Phelps and Tyla Rodrigues

243. Australian Trucking News and Opinion with Mike Williams and Guests. This week on the show Andy has Max Jackson for us. She's a star in the aussie country scene and we're lucky to get her on the show. Greg Casey, former NSW Highway Patrol officer turned researcher comes in for a chat about his third research paper on truckie fatigue and interviews. Finally Bob is in from sunny Nth Qld for the news. Download Greg's research paper #3 https://kor01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fkwnsfk27.r.eu-west-1.awstrack.me%2FL0%2Fhttps%3A%252F%252Fauthors.elsevier.com%252Fsd%252Farticle%252FS1369847825002219%2F1%2F01020197883e638e-a5aa4963-47a0-4208-b5b5-1bc6ccf190f3-000000%2FBg8mJsxHn3TaMw5niqlAVR7awiE%3D431&data=05%7C02%7C%7Ce87171b5cf8e4842e84d08ddafab24cc%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638859871789200684%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=l1UaY6SRtHX0RoOxtOcNMmC0TSYNCSd0KJYYPtprocU%3D&reserved=0

242. Australian Trucking News and Opinion with Mike Williams and guests. We've had a two week break while I've moved house. Bob McMillan joins me for the news and a conversation about Brendon Ryan's "white paper". Andy is in with a new track from Andrew Swift plus a question we'd like some listener input on. Finally a bit of a departure from our normal guests, a bloke named Damien Costas has written a book called "What Happened to the Lucky Country" I thought this is a hugely interesting book so in a throwback to my old podcast "No Holds Barred" I thought why not, lets get him on the show for a chat.

241. Australian Trucking News and Opinion with Mike Williams, Trev Warner and Bob McMillan. Also Andy has rounded up a track from Clint Wilson and another from Mack Geiger to take the show out. As mentioned in the show we are having a two week break because we're not going to be able to physically record and produce a show. sorry about that. take the opportunity to skip back and have a listen to an earlier show or if you just want to enjoy some of the great talent we've had on the show check out one of the Christmas specials.

240. Australian trucking news and opinion with Mike Williams and guests

39. Australian Trucking news and opinion with Mike Williams and Trev Warner plus music with Andy from Casey Barnes and Katie Brooke. It's a different format to the show this week. straight into the news and music at the end. have a good week and take care out there.

38. Australian Trucking News and Opinion with Mike Williams and Guests

237. Australian Trucking Industry news and opinion with Mike Williams and guest Bob McMillan