Why is there a driver shortage? Owner-driver Ken Wilkie thinks the blame could be at the feet of a few who wear the enforcement uniform
In his latest column for Owner//Driver, owner-operator and columnist Ken Wilkie has turned his eye to the supposed shortage of drivers in the transport industry, musing that it may just be the fault of enforcement.
Reacting to an article he read on the causes of such a diminishing availability of talent, Wilkie says he is yet to hear “one commentator raising the issue of persecution of truckies by enforcement people as a disincentive to seeking a role as a truckie.”
“One comment suggested the industry has an image issue,” he continues. “Yeah, OK!”
“So much of that image problem has been manufactured by enforcement to justify the position of enforcers.
“So much of the enforcement activity is demeaning to decent people – honest people who simply are responding to society’s need to have freight relocated from one point to another.
“Decent people have an objection to being the play things / sport for egoistical enforcement staff.”
And this sentiment extends to Wilkie’s mate Alan, who he says fell into a very understandable trap with daylight savings.
“Alan’s big misdemeanour was failing to appreciate that his mobile phone took its time from mobile phone towers and that that time reflected NSW’s move to daylight saving.
“On Thursday the thirteenth, he drove from Brisbane to Port Macquarie. Not a big day – he spent the night at Port Macquarie – to the tune of twelve hours.
“As a Queensland resident, he marked his bull sheet as recording Queensland time – both Thursday and Friday.
“On filling out the book on Friday he took his time from the mobile phone without thinking – probably did on Thursday too but then he was in the sunny state.
“The phone was a whole hour advanced on his Queensland time. The truth of the matter is that he only had eleven hours resting at Port M.”
“RMS officer 759 picked up on this misdemeanour because officer 759 understood that seventy five minutes from Port M. to Pine Creek was too quick – much too quick.
“Instead of reminding Alan that daylight saving caused Alan’s phone to advance the time, 759 hit Alan with a one hundred and sixty dollar fine.
“When we asked RMS to review the breach, it had already been moved to the State Debt Recovery Office (SDRO). Like, what’s the bloody rush?
“Why would any person consider a career as a truckie when this sort of mentality / morality is so prevalent?”
Read more from Ken Wilkie’s column in the December 2016 edition of Owner//Driver.