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NT driver shortage diminishing: Bilato

Northern Territory Road Transport Association says the driver shortage problem of 2012 has given way

By Ruza Zivkusic-Aftasi | May 17, 2013

Driver shortage in the Northern Territory is slowly diminishing, according to the Northern Territory Road Transport Association.

Executive Officer Louise Bilato says the rate of fly-in and fly-out (FIFO) drivers is on the rise from last year with workers coming to Darwin from the Pilbara.

“We are putting this down to some at least making a lifestyle choice over the FIFO demands that can be very hard on families,” Bilato says.

“All the indicators are that the driver shortages that were much in evidence in 2012 have diminished.”

The NRTA has been in close talks with government to address skills shortages. Bilato says the Territory has a lack of road train drivers every dry season when employers look for drivers with at least two years’ experience.

“Driving a triple or quad road train on some of the NT’s dirt road network is quite different to driving a B-double on the eastern seaboard,” she says.

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