Parliament has passed the new Road User Charges Act and the trucking industry will have to comply with the new gross weights regime from August 1.

We are still waiting for the schedule of charges to be published, but the more research we do into this legislation the more we are astonished at the anomalies it has created.

Some of us are going to be very badly affected by the legislation with our RUC increasing dramatically. In our experience there has never before been legislation that created such a division between winners and losers. If you are running a truck you need to be familiar with what you will be paying as soon as possible.

The cost allocation model is no longer based on sound engineering principles and the philosophy of fairly recouping the cost of damage to the roads. The new cost allocation model has anomalies that defy explanation – such as the inequities in charges between B-trains and truck and trailer units.

Moving away from the weight versus axle model is going to result in more damage to the roads with the costs now being unfairly allocated across the industry.

We do not agree with the Minister’s explanation that this legislation will “reduce compliance costs for transport operators and ultimately reduce transport costs for businesses and exporters.”

Parliament has chosen to ignore the industry’s submissions to the Select Committee and the result is poor legislation. It has some good provisions but the cost allocation is misguided.

Please keep the messages coming and continue to sign the petition because there will be further action relating to the new legislation.