Car drivers are said to be at fault in most accidents involving heavy vehicles, but we still cop bad press
I’m feeling a little chuffed. I’ve been pestering local pollies and bureaucracy to have signage at a local T intersection adjusted. There were all sorts of excuses why it should not have been changed, but it has been and I expect I was not the only one making noises.
It’s good to see some common sense prevail. Sadly, too many regulations and attitudes stem from people who do not understand the driving job description – especially the heavy vehicle driving job description. To my mind it’s sort of “here we go again”.
So there is going to be a review of the heavy vehicle regulations. Firstly, I think we’re putting the cart before the horse yet again. Without detailed knowledge of cause, how in the hell can we design legislation that will correct a safety issue?
At this point in time community attitudes have been turned against road transport thanks to a failure of industry management to demand truth in breach reporting and a failure to demand proper and timely examination of the cause of accidents.
Regarding a comment in Brisbane’s Courier Mail on February 6 discussing the importation of waste material into south east Queensland from southern states, the report says it’s being trucked in. Yes, some is coming via road, but another friend who does business with interstate rail complains that he is having trouble getting rail bookings owing to the volume of additional (waste) freight loading up the rail system. Why name trucks as if just trucks are culpable?
Read Ken Wilke’s column from last month’s edition here!
Secondly, I question the good folks named to undertake the review. I’m sorry but my cynicism doubts that any of them would have a working knowledge of truck driving.
Why wasn’t Rod Hannifey appointed to be a member of the team. Or people of the calibre of Steve Smith, Bob McMillan, Pom Pearson, Bunny Brown or Russ Martin? One could go on indefinitely.
Are those with influence living up to the comment made to me recently that no truck driver or retired truck driver will ever grace the office of the National Transport Commission in a professional capacity? Is it arrogance, conceit, self-indulgence and patronising, or a sinister effort to pull the wool over industry’s eyes?
Is this a chain of responsibility issue or a callous absence of duty of care? A truckie in the course of his business is directed to attend a cotton gin in New South Wales. In addition, he is directed not to enter the establishment outside business hours. No town nearby, no toilets or showers, but days of plus 40 degree temperatures and nights in the high 20s. Even access to toilets once on site to load is not guaranteed.
On the other foot he or she is expected to comply with all the petty workplace health and safety requirements on site and statutory driving hour demands and any other expectation that could bring the wrath of a legal liability claim against the gin proprietors.
I’m sure the good folks reviewing the “national” transport regulations will come up with an appropriate response. Maybe a first effort would be to spend a week in that driver’s shoes.
Pony express
I had a most interesting conversation with a high ranking Queensland task force officer the other week. Apparently drug taking is rampant in time sensitive sections of the transport industry, primarily refrigeration and stock transport.
Time sensitive implies there is a considerable element of “pony express” mentality. You know – the mail must get through come hell or high water. In today’s freight transfer system there is no wind in the face or the staccato hammering of a galloping pony’s hooves to stem the oncoming of fatigue. Instead we have lounge chair seating and the mind numbing purring of noise subdued high horse power. There is nothing pony-like in the new transport nodes, unless it’s the express bit. So how many are irresponsibly taking stuff in an attempt to stay awake?
It is for that reason that under my suggestion the National Road Freighters Association included a statuary time buffer system for scheduled operations in their fatigue proposal. Wonder where that went? The multi nationals in response to difficulties with safety outcomes on scheduled operations, especially those that involve over night or through the night performance have taken advantage of sophisticated cattle prodder type technology.
Another attitude that is raising my ire at present is the attention given to those who seem to think they can get kudos via using more technology involving trucks and truck drivers to improve our safety outcome. Bloody pity these “X-spurts” can’t relate to their times of study and apply the belief that study makes one able to perform at a higher level of proficiency in a given field. Since the highly valued input from National Transport Insurance claims that 90 percent of truck-car accidents are caused by car drivers, surely it’s a no brainer to address that area, such as proper education for all drivers.
The expectation is to mark one’s book with the initials FFD – Fit For Driving. What does one enter if one considers themselves unfit?
Subbies undermined
The Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal (RSRT): It’s probably understood that I’m not a supporter of a prescribed floor plan. Fair pay and fair dealings? Well, I’m an absolute advocate. I hate going to the large food outlets owing to their treatment of suppliers – dairy farmers in particular. It’s absolutely disgusting.
The bank enquiry has been and the score is out. Immorality has been seen to be rife. And what difference is it when major transport companies undermine returns to subbies so that the said company can undercut a competitor’s rate to a customer? The directors never take a cut.
If such a thing as an RSRT (and a more appropriate term might be ‘Road Transport Floor Price’) scheme is introduced, a basic plank must be a system to ensure contracts do not change hands at the cost of drivers’ legal entitlements or undermining of current subbie rates. By current, I mean the rate paid to those engaged prior to the takeover. And if new provider contemplates withdrawing the use of subbies, there needs to be fair and just compensation provided.