NZ Trucking Association Calls For Increased Use Of Rear-Facing Red Lights And Stronger Safety Management Systems

The New Zealand Trucking Association is urging transport operators to review their vehicle safety practices following a recent Coroner’s report into a tragic fatality involving a heavy vehicle.

The incident, which involved a motorcyclist travelling at speed in the dark and without a helmet, resulted in the rider colliding with a legally parked truck. The coroner found that excessive speed and failure to wear a helmet were the primary causes of the crash. A contributing factor noted was that the parked truck did not have its Rear-Facing Red Lights switched on at the time. Safe Parking rules for heavy vehicles by law

Heavy motor vehicles and vehicles fitted with a flat deck or tray for carrying goods that are parked on the street at night must display a rear-facing red light that

• Is on the side of the vehicle closest to the centre of the road
• Is visible at 100 metres
• Goods service vehicles parked on a roadway at night must have a red light on projecting loads that extend more than 1 metre behind the vehicle

Whether the presence of rear-facing lights would have prevented the collision remains unknown.

While the circumstances of this incident are complex, the involvement of a heavy vehicle inevitably places increased scrutiny and public focus on transport operators.

In response, the New Zealand Trucking Association is reminding the industry to ensure that:

• Marker lights are correctly fitted to all heavy vehicles
• Marker lights are switched on when vehicles are parked on the roadside

“Even when a truck and its operator have complied with their legal obligations, incidents like this cast a spotlight on the sector,” said the Association. “Anything that improves visibility on the road, including the simple step of ensuring parked vehicle marker lights are illuminated, has the potential to support safer outcomes.”

However, the Association stresses that safety cannot rely on single actions. It is calling on operators to adopt comprehensive Safety Management Systems that provide structure, evidence, and continual safety improvement across operations.

The Association is recommending TruckSafe , New Zealand’s industry-designed Safety Management System, as an effective and practical solution for transport businesses of all sizes.

“TruckSafe is a comprehensive, New Zealand-specific safety management framework, developed by industry for industry,” the Association noted. “It’s written in clear, practical language and supported with templates, guides, and tools to help operators meet their obligations and uplift safety performance.”

TruckSafe sits under the Transport Well Charitable Trust, ensuring independent governance and a focus on long-term sector wellbeing, free from commercial or political influence.

“Having a structured safety management system in place means operators have the policies, procedures, and documentation required should an incident occur, but more importantly, it helps prevent incidents in the first place,” the Association said.

The Association encourages all operators to proactively review their safety systems now, rather than wait until an incident forces change.

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