Compliance checks at Melbourne Airport

15 December 2016

During November, officers from the Bus Branch conducted compliance activities at Melbourne Airport and the Dunkeld Races.

The Melbourne Airport activity was conducted with the assistance of personnel from Australian Federal Police, Victoria Police Heavy Vehicle Unit, VicRoads and Melbourne Airport Ground Transport Unit.

In addition to the inspection of buses and driver licences/accreditations, the Melbourne Airport activity also consisted of drug and alcohol testing of bus drivers and the weighing of buses to ensure the buses were not exceeding their gross vehicle mass.

In total 44 buses went through the check point with the following results:

• Eight  buses were found not to have fire extinguishers in an operating condition.
• Fourteen bus drivers did not comply with the requirements for a national work diary as required under the National Heavy Vehicle Law and were issued with infringement notices.
• Two buses were issued with defect notices for unroadworthy items including tyres and suspension.
• Twenty-one trailers were issued defect notices for unroadworthy items including worn or insecure couplings, inoperative lights and worn tyres.
• Four drivers were issued with infringement notices for using an unroadworthy vehicle/trailer on a highway.
• One bus operator was providing a courtesy bus service without bus operator registration.
• One registered bus operator was providing a commercial bus service without accreditation.

The Dunkeld compliance activity resulted in the inspection of 23 buses with the following issues identified:

• Three buses were found not to have fire extinguishers in an operating condition.
• One bus driver did not hold the appropriate drivers licence to drive a bus with 14 seats.
• Four operators were providing a courtesy bus service without bus operator registration.
• Four bus drivers were not carrying a national work diary.

TSV will be following up all matters with the applicable bus operators.