Owner//Driver came across a truckie who has found a solution to his work diary struggles - he’s got an exemption. You’d be surprised how easy it was…
Graeme Spillman, who’s name you might recognise because he was one of the two truckie heroes from the Tin Can Bay tragedy, was fed up with his work diary struggles.
Mild dyslexia and the fact he’d occasionally made errors that he paid for after being fined, made the work diary an added point of stress for Graeme.
At 54-years-old, he’s had plenty of experience managing his fatigue, having driven everything from tankers to road trains running Brisbane to Perth and just about everywhere down South.
On a recent run Graeme had his work diary checked by an officer, who noticed the experienced truckie was having issues with it.
The officer spent a bit of time with him, explaining the ins and outs of a possible work diary exemption issued by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR), which aims to help operators with literacy or print media impairments.
“I actually found out about the exemption when an authorised officer was checking it (work diary), and noticed I was having a bit of trouble with it,” Graeme said.
“They’re not all bad, he was such a helpful fella and he was all about doing the right thing.
“Not many would do that, though.
“The not so helpful officers should take a lesson from good ones like him.”
For Graeme, attaining a work diary exemption permit from the NHVR meant seeing his doctor who was able to provide a medical certificate explaining the difficulties he faced.
When Owner//Driver approached the NHVR to find out more about the permits, a spokesperson explained the reasoning behind the exemptions.
“The NHVR understands that some heavy vehicle drivers may have literacy challenges, which makes it difficult to fill out their work diary,” the spokesperson said.
“To assist them in doing their job safely, we offer a work diary exemption.
“This enables the driver to safely meet their requirements for the National Work Diary through nominating an alternative way of recording their work and rest.”
The truckie, in applying for a work diary exemption permit, must submit an ‘Establish work diary or record keeping exemption (permit)’ form to the NHVR.
In addition to the form, the applicant must include a letter from a competent person explaining the reason for the application, which can be a psychologist, speech pathologist, doctor, or selected literacy practitioner.
An applicant also has to nominate an appropriate way to record their hours, something the NHVR says they’re flexible with provided the exemption permit is carried at all times.
In line with using the method chosen to record hours, in Graeme’s case he uses a voice recorder, the applicant must nominate a person to record the details in their work diary – this could be an administrative worker at the depot, or even a friend or family member.
Graeme says it’s the best thing he’s done, taking the pressure off and making the job that little bit less stressful.
“It’s the pressure, having to fill this thing out during rest stops and making little errors that you pay for,” he said.
“The exemption is a way for people with these sorts of struggles to properly fill the book out with correct information.
“It’s a lot less stressful.”
Photography: Cobey Bartels