Heavy vehicle industry calls for 'fairer' rego fees, amidst volatile fuel costs

Crippling fuel prices across the country have made it difficult for some commercial truck companies to absorb.

Livestock and Rural Transporters Association of Queensland (LRTAQ) president Gerard Johnson said ensuring a level playing field has never been so important as it is now.

"The cost of doing business has never been higher with unprecedented increases in fuel, insurances and registration fees," Mr Johnson said.

"We've seen fuel prices increase by 50 per cent in the last quarter, and it's expected to grow further.

"If the food and fibre supply chain is going to remain stable and sustainable the rising costs of diesel will need to be passed on."

In early March, the LRTAQ called for a 'level playing field' in vehicle registration costs, following reports of businesses using primary producer discounts to operate on a commercial basis.

Though, the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) said to date that significant numbers of non-compliance had not been found.

Mr Johnson said the heavy vehicle industry did not agree with TMR's assessment that this isn't a widespread issue.

"Going by TMR's own figures, during a recent enforcement activity that intercepted 40 trucks, 7 of these trucks - or 17.5pc - were found to be misusing the primary producer concession. Those numbers speak for themselves," he said.

"The misuse of the primary producer registration concession scheme has been going on for years but it has certainly reached a tipping point.

"If TMR isn't able to properly enforce the primary producer registration scheme, a concessional signifier would make misuse easier to spot and report."

Mr Johnson said the LRTAQ are not opposed to the primary producer registration concession when it is used as the law intends.

"There is a real problem when by TMR's own figures in some areas one in six trucks is misusing the concession and operating on a commercial basis," he said.

"The livestock and rural transport industry is a critical element of our food and fibre supply chains and a backbone of our regional economies.

"The sustainability of the supply chain hinges on fixing this problem."

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