Goodaye all. Recently, I had one of our drivers want to chat. He wants the fatigue management system fixed and fair.
Whilst his dreams match many others, most in authority would run away saying: “But you can’t have this now (because they all think they know better) and based on your record, you did it all wrong in the past” — and yes, he has the fines and a record to confirm this, as many others do too.
Certainly, some did it completely wrong and for the wrong reasons. But many did it wrong by the law of the land, but right by them and their own fatigue knowledge and control.
Ken Wilkie has often asked how many “fatigue” crashes have occurred whilst “legal” and of course, I am fairly certain, not one road authority will have (let alone let anyone see) a record of all those offences which we deem as bullshit, having nothing whatsoever to do with actual risk or road safety as such — as opposed to a list of real, to them at least, fatigue risks.
Many years ago, a driver said much the same as our bloke did. He is struggling more now than he ever has — to be both safe and compliant.
Of course, the scrutiny and fines have increased, along with the technology to watch you every minute and kilometre you travel, whether by your own company or the authorities themselves, which have now nearly all been taken over by the NHVR.
So, in our dreams, you would be able to drive when fit, sleep when tired, eat when hungry and shower and sh*t when needed. But of course, those who make the rules want them enforced.
To be fair, the NHVR who have been given these rules, not made them or the penalties involved, are now one of the two bodies enforcing them. Ah yes, the Police, the other body!
Whilst ever the current law stands, and the Police have the power to enforce the bad, unfair and unjust parts of it, we will continue to be persecuted by the few. I do honestly believe the NHVR aim to educate before enforcement, but of course, if you act stupidly and keep doing so, then they will prosecute you, probably fairly so — at least we hope.
However, the Police have told me: “Get the law fixed, we can’t half Police the law”. And, whilst that is half true, they too could adopt the same mantra as the NHVR.
So, I hate to say, the current long running review of the HVNL and the review of the review, could be our only hope. It could give the NHVR some power to change things. It could remove some of the rubbish.
But until those in the government and the agencies who persuade, educate, direct and enforce the current law recognise we are not the criminals we are too often portrayed as, you and all the King’s horsemen, have little chance to change things.
Is this the right path?
By the time you read this, your chance to reply and or contribute to an Austroads survey on the law regarding licenses for overseas drivers will be long gone. I only found out from a mate who had filled it in, only to find when he got to the end, he could not add any explanation or further comment.
I have done it and yes, you think there will be a closing statement option, but it says, thanks and goodbye, so too late. But I did follow up with an email and some questions and hope to come back to you with answers.
In discussing the survey, I raised the issue with my mate of how, many years ago, we had lots of immigrant drivers. Not politically correct now of course, but we had people from many different countries and we had names for each of them then too. But were we more affable and less nasty, and were they more accepting and intent on assimilating?
Did we mean and they accept our nicknames and the like as Aussie slang and affection and did they simply not laugh it off, but then work harder to be included?
Where we are at now, with the issues on the road, on the radio and between drivers who all we hope, simply want to work and feed their family and then get home safely each trip. From where I sit is not only getting worse, it is going to do us all more harm than good.
None of us are perfect, some of us made mistakes when we were learning and some of us, if we didn’t get a good clip over the ear by the boss or your Dad or Uncle or whoever was teaching you, certainly got soundly and thoroughly abused when you did it wrong.
Again, in the past, if you made a mistake on the road and owned it and apologised, the other fellow would say something like, “All good, we all make mistakes, but just don’t do it again OK?” Now, before you can even say sorry, the other driver is abusing you and threatening you. We have all seen road rage videos, some directed at truckies.
Now if mistakes are made by a car driver, who knows no better, then we have failed to educate them and whilst I have been pushing that barrow for years, it still needs to be done.
But yes, we need better control of licensing and who does drive trucks, but once drivers are in one, will you help or make it worse? The horse has bolted, we need to work together and fix the fences, but we can’t go back in time.
Safe travelling, Rod Hannifey.
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ROD HANNIFEY, a transport safety advocate, has been involved in raising the profile of the industry, conducting highway truck audits, the Blue Reflector Trial for informal parking bays on the Newell, the ‘Truckies on Road Code’, the national 1800 number for road repairs proposal, and the Better Roadside Rest Areas Group. Rod is the immediate past president of the NRFA. Contact Rod on 0428 120 560, e-mail rod.hannifey@bigpond.com or visit www.truckright.com.au