Here at MTData, we provide the tools to assist both drivers and operators meet compliance requirements. Our latest feature, empowers drivers by enabling them to effectively complete inspections of their vehicle and report defects as they arise throughout their journey.

In accordance with the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s (NHVR) “Compliance Bulletin”¹, drivers have three main responsibilities to meet compliance, and to make the road safer for everyone.

  • Do not drive a defective vehicle on road
  • If the driver is issued with a defect notice assigned to their vehicle, they must give the owner/operator a copy of the notice as soon as possible
  • The driver must adhere to any conditions stated in the defect notice regarding the continued use of the vehicle

In addition, fleet managers and operators have a responsibility to ensure their drivers do not drive defective vehicles. If issued with a notice, operators must fix the stated defects within a period of time, and ensure all defect conditions are met to clear the notice.

Our latest features have been designed to assist the Chain of Responsibility (CoR) in taking the reasonable steps in risk assessment, identification and control with regards to vehicle defects and inspections.

Inspection Reporting On Talon

Inspection reporting is available to drivers when completing their pre-trip questionnaire and post-trip via Talon. The inspection list has a number of questions, which is configured by managers in Hawk-Eye. The list can be broken down into different categories that managers/operations deem important (e.g. engine, tyres, trailer, prime mover, equipment, etc.).

When completing the inspection list, drivers can raise defects against the vehicle. When a defect is raised in the inspection report, operations are notified via Hawk-Eye and email alerts.

The inspection list assists drivers with meeting compliance standards by inspecting their vehicle and its road-worthiness and take the appropriate actions to report defect and notify managers.

Defect Reporting on Talon

Raising a vehicle defect is now made easier for drivers, as they are provided with a list of questions to complete and report the defect. This includes the “type” of defect, severity, adding comments (e.g. “tarps broken due to hail damage”), register statuses, and attaching photos.

Drivers raising a defect that is classified as “critical” will flash a “Stop Work” alert on their Talon screen. This signals to the driver to alert operations of the defect immediately and to stop working.

Keeping the driver informed, once logged in Talon, they can view all recent reported defects against their vehicle.

Reported defects will trigger email alerts and notifications in Hawk-Eye, and they will also be available in exception reporting, heat maps and performance dashboards.

Making It Easier For Operations To Review Defects

We want to make it easier for operations to manage their vehicles by giving them the right information when they need it. Inspections and defect reports are made available on Hawk-Eye for access and can be reviewed at any time.

Now by using Hawk-Eye, operations can simply filter reported defects based on the severity and view the defects’ details and status.

This can help to determine which defects are a priority and need to be attended to immediately to help keep trucks on the road.

If you would like to learn more about Defect and Incident Reporting and our other compliance solutions, please visit https://mtdata.com.au/solution/driver-safety-compliance/.

Contact us for a no-obligation demo, so you can see why industry leaders use our telematics solutions, on 1300 683 282 or enquiries@mtdata.com.au.


¹NHVR’s Compliance Bulletin 4. Retrieved from https://www.nhvr.gov.au/files/201602-0175-cb4-vehicle-defects.pdf 

Published 05 March 2017