The Australian Trucking Association has appointed Queensland trucking leader Tim Knowles to chair its national safety committee.

Mr Knowles is a director and the operations manager of Speedie Contractors in Brisbane, which operates 32 rigid trucks and prime movers in the road surfacing sector of the industry. He has been a director of the ATA since 2013, and was the president of the Queensland Trucking Association from 2005 to 2007.

Mr Knowles said one of his goals as the Chair of the ATA Safety Committee would be to press for improvements in truck maintenance.

“Because of my background in the dangerous goods sector, I’m also keen to see more work done on preventing rollovers and pushing for mandatory electronic stability control,” he said.

Mr Knowles was appointed following the retirement of outgoing committee chair Mark Sullivan, and paid tribute to his work.

“I want to build on the safety gains that the ATA achieved under Mark’s leadership of the committee,” he said.

The ATA Safety Committee provides its General Council with safety advice and assists it with developing industry policy.