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       More than 85 per cent of the 1,900 respondents said foreign truck drivers should not be allowed to drive in Australia with a foreign licence.
       That’s one of the key findings of an Australian Roads Agency study released this week that surveyed industry views on the driving of overseas-licensed heavy vehicle drivers.
       Australian Roads says the anonymous survey is a response to growing safety concerns in the industry and the need to recognise the differences between driving in Australia and overseas.
       Questions include how long overseas heavy vehicle drivers can drive on an overseas licence, what types of vehicles they will be allowed to drive, and the process for transferring to an Australian licence.
       Austroads hopes the responses will provide it with “valuable information” to aid policy analysis and decision-making.
       Many respondents indicated that many qualified and capable HGV drivers hold overseas licences or have converted to Australian licences and are practising driving. However, safety and qualification issues were also raised.
       Road safety culture and driving etiquette. In general, Australians take safety, including road safety, very seriously. Road rules and laws also support this. This is also reflected in the way people drive on the roads: most people want to share the road with others in a respectful and safe manner. These same values ​​and legal frameworks are not universal. People from countries with different road cultures may behave in ways that do not meet Australian safety expectations or priorities, such as accelerating to get in front of other vehicles, disobeying road markings and overtaking in unsafe circumstances;
       Understanding Australian Road Rules: To ensure safety, Australia has a strict set of road rules and regulations to promote safe driving, especially for drivers of heavy vehicles, such as chain of custody laws for driving while intoxicated; People driving on an overseas licence may not understand these laws and the consequences of breaking them.
       English Language Skills: If drivers do not have a high level of English language proficiency, they may have difficulty understanding or explaining their employer’s instructions, being unable to use or understand two-way radios, and not understanding road signs; all of these situations can lead to adverse safety consequences.
       Familiarise yourself with Australian roads and driving conditions. Driving in rural Australia and over long distances presents special challenges. There may be safety risks for those who are not used to such roads and driving conditions.
       Extensive experience driving combination vehicles: Australia has a graduated driving system, with drivers gradually improving their skills in rigid vehicles before driving combination vehicles. Most other countries do not have such a graduated driving system. In addition, the dimensions of heavy goods vehicles and combination vehicles are often larger than the types of vehicles that drivers are accustomed to driving in their home countries. Unless a driver gradually gains driving experience, driving a large combination vehicle can be a safety hazard.
       Skills: Some drivers have limited experience of the skills typically required of Australian heavy vehicle drivers (including reversing and trailer coupling).
       Quality of teaching and assessment. A large number of respondents identified the need to improve the quality and integrity of Australian teaching and assessment standards. The number of short courses on offer was identified as a problem. The relatively short driving times were of particular concern.
       Australian Roads said it would present the findings, as well as information from a series of industry interviews, to state and territory licensing regulators.
       Based on the questions asked, the findings report discusses potential areas for policy change. Options for further investigation, supported by states and territories, require more focused assessment.
       ”Most policy changes will likely require changes in legislation, and such changes are subject to community and government review and oversight.”
       I sincerely believe that the surveys I took were accurate and that there was no racial bias in the responses.
       Full support for mandatory licence checks for all overseas drivers and operators who will need to comply with all Australian rules and regulations that we Australians face in order to obtain multi-combined licences.
       This is all well and good, but the politicians won’t do anything about it unless their own family members are killed. They are too afraid of these people calling them racists.
       Yes I agree with most other Australian drivers that these foreign drivers should not be allowed to come to Australia and start driving B/Double’s on our roads. I am retired now so I drive a bit but it is not as safe as it was many years ago. They should have taken some kind of driving test, some of them did well but in the wrong proportions.
       I have had several licenses and driven several cars for over 50 years. But look at today’s multicultural drivers: they are some of the worst people on the road and have no respect for other road users. I always wonder how these drivers are allowed to drive such huge trucks.
       I was talking to a friend the other day. He told me he sold a truck to a foreigner who had an MC license. It turned out to be a motorcycle license, which is an MC in their country. He got his heavy vehicle license here when he applied in Australia. Maybe that’s worth looking into too.
       Testers are paid based on their performance, it is a competition, and like a driver’s license, getting a truck license should involve at least a certain amount of instruction, but in real life, testers are not hanging out in back alleys on weekends. You should not self-certify, they cannot be trusted, there should be government testers on trucks.