QTA Advocacy Update October 2026

Fuel cost recovery - FWC proposes changes

On 16 October, the Fair Work Commission announced proposed changes to the Road Transport Contractual Chain Order - Fuel Cost Recovery 2026. The proposal would restore fuel cost adjustment obligations that stopped applying in June, introduce monthly adjustments and provide an additional option for an agreed fuel levy, subject to safeguards. These changes remain subject to consultation. Submissions close at 4 pm Queensland time on Friday 23 October.

For members, the practical issue is whether your freight rates and fuel recovery arrangements adequately reflect the cost of delivering the work. Operators receiving subcontracted work should review how fuel movements are recognised in their rates. Those engaging subcontractors should also examine their payment arrangements and potential obligations through the contracting chain.

QTA’s position remains clear: operators cannot sustainably carry fuel increases that are not recognised by those purchasing transport services. Effective cost recovery needs to flow through the chain to the business paying for the fuel.

Please contact QTA if your current arrangements are leaving you exposed. Your examples help us demonstrate where protections are needed and whether the proposed arrangements will work in practice. Members can access fuel costing and customer communication resources here (login using your email address).

Sham contracting - protect your business

The Fair Work Ombudsman is sending sham contracting alerts and advice to transport operators. The increasing attention on this issue is an encouraging sign that sustained industry advocacy is gaining traction. Those businesses meeting the legislated employment, taxation and insurance obligations deserve fair competition. Workers also deserve the protections to which they are entitled. Calling someone a subcontractor, or requiring them to hold an ABN, does not establish that the arrangement is lawful. The actual employment relationship matters.

If you use subcontractors, undertake proper due diligence. Understand their operating structure, how they engage and pay their drivers, and whether appropriate insurance covers the people and activities involved.

This is particularly important when subcontractors and their drivers enter your depot, load or unload freight, or work alongside your employees. Depending on the engagement, an individual contractor may be considered a worker for Queensland workers’ compensation purposes, even if they have an ABN. Confirm who must provide cover rather than assuming it sits with the subcontractor.

Our recent webinar with Platinum Partner NTI reinforced the importance of these checks, including the pressures associated with increasing public liability insurance costs. Public liability and workers’ compensation cover serve different purposes; members should have their insurer or broker confirm that their arrangements address the relevant risks.

Do these checks before an incident exposes a gap. Contact QTA if you need support reviewing your employment or subcontracting arrangements.

Improving on-road and driver safety - Hazard warning lights changes coming

For some time, QTA has advocated for drivers to be able to use hazard warning lights while MOVING to alert following traffic about unsafe conditions ahead, including adverse weather, roadworks and slowing traffic. The serious rear-end collision north of Calliope on Sunday 18 October at roadworks is another sobering reminder of the consequences when heavy vehicles are involved in highway incidents. Our thoughts are with those affected.

Following consultation with TMR, we have been advised that the regulation governing hazard warning lights, also known as emergency trafficators, will be amended to allow their use on MOVING heavy vehicles in specified circumstances (to be advised).

We first raised this issue with the regulator more than six years ago. We have persisted to advocate and commendably, Minister Brett Mickelberg (Min. for Transport and Main Roads) has responded and the changes will be made. Once the amendments are approved, we will advise members of the final wording, the permitted circumstances and the commencement date. As a reminder, the current regulation for emergency hazard lights can be found here.

Bruce Highway works consultation - protecting your delivery commitments

QTA recently arranged for the Program Director of the Bruce Highway Targeted Safety Program to meet with a group of operators who regularly travel the highway.

The discussion was critical as TMR manages the progressive rollout of more than 50 projects across approximately 120 sites between Gympie and Cairns. Some works have already commenced, with activity expected to peak in 2028.

These safety improvements, which QTA advocated for, are critical, but they will create operational headaches. We are engaging early to ensure practical procedures are in place to minimise disruption. For an operator travelling the full length of the highway, a series of seemingly minor delays can accumulate into a substantial increase in journey time. Operators provided feedback on the implications for delivery schedules, customer commitments, access to suitable rest locations and fatigue management.

QTA is pressing for coordinated planning across worksites, industry-informed traffic management plans, clear advance notice of disruptions and timely updates when conditions change. Operators need information early enough to plan, supported by a communication system that responds quickly when expected delays or access arrangements change.

We are also commencing discussions with the NHVR about the implications for driving hours and fatigue management programs. These impacts need to be considered before drivers encounter repeated delays along their route.

Across all four issues, your intelligence and feedback strengthen our advocacy. If you are facing an issue relating to people, training, insurance, access or operations, connect with QTA early. Your membership gives you direct access to a team who understand the industry and will work with you towards a practical outcome.

Road freight operators interesting in getting involved with the QTA, please contact Ebony Harber, ebony@qta.com.au or visit our website - https://www.qta.com.au/