There are many ways to get your point across – send an email, write a letter or simply pick up the phone
Last month, and for the first time in a few years, I attended the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) convention – Trucking Australia – this year in Perth. I had some help from others to attend and I thank them for that assistance.
I was welcomed by many and did my part to contribute where I could. With the CEO Ben Maguire in hospital from the week before the event (due to a fall from a horse), he must be very proud of the effort by his team in carrying on and presenting a well-run and valuable conference.
Those of you who have never been an ATA conference may well complain it is just a lot of words with a few good feeds and drinks. This has been among the comments I have received after other attendances. However, if you don’t participate you will not make a difference and may well miss a chance to be heard. Yes I agree, I have been disappointed that issues I have raised, not just at other conventions but at meetings and forums as well, have not been fixed. But it is also unrealistic to expect everything to be sorted the next day.
I will draw a parallel with the current National Heavy Vehicle Law (NHVL) review. Many will talk and complain about what we have now. Many more will complain after the event that we did not get the law fixed or that we did not get heard. This may be the best chance we will ever have, to get some meaningful and valuable changes to a law many see as not only overly complex but inflexible and built on punishment and penalty, instead of actually helping us manage our fatigue and do our job safely.
Speaking out
Even if you only write one email that says you have an issue with the way we are fined, if you can supply one example of what you believe to be unfair or unreasonable, then you may well help see things changed. You do not have to write 1,000 words, you do not have to dissect the 600 plus pages, point by point, but if you can provide an example of an issue you perceive to be a problem and if other drivers do the same, we may get something done.
I have spoken with the National Transport Commission seeking how it would work and believe they genuinely want us to be able to participate, easily and simply. There will be individual issue papers, so you can comment on just one thing or many if you want and have issues with more than one part.
I will be seeking better flexibility with hours, not simply more, but being able to use hours and manage our fatigue better. We still do not have enough rest areas and if you have a set run, it is easier to know where and when you can rest. If you go all over the place, it is harder, let alone that each day and load can be different.
I will be asking for recognition of past record. In New South Wales you are allowed one minor traffic ticket every 10 years and in that time your average car driver will do maybe 200,000km, where we will do 10 times that or more. It’s true they will say, “You are a professional, you should know better, set a good example, be perfect, etc”, but why is our logbook system only using the stick to beat and rob us of our wages for simple and non-safety related mistakes? Why does it not recognise a good record?
How many of you will commit to making the time and effort and contribute to getting our voices heard and our issues recognised, let alone acted upon. If only a couple of drivers put in comments, then we will not get any response. It is like the ATA. You will only ever get out what you put in.
There was much to commend in the Trucking Australia sessions and much I would like to see done. I will certainly do what I can to help and will keep in contact with the ATA to pursue those things I want to see changed and/or improved. But it is not only me. There are many others who do want change. Against that you may well argue the ATA is not there for drivers, but then it is up to us to push our issues through them. If you are a part of one of the ATA member associations, then you should be pushing that group to put your issues forward.
Truckies top tips
The Truckies Top Tips (for sharing the road with trucks), funded by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) Heavy Vehicle Road Safety Initiative was released in April. I started this in 1999 and would like to thank the NHVR, Stephen and the team at Whiteline Television for bringing it to life. I would love to see the videos used as part of all driver training and hope it will not only make our jobs safer, but save the lives of others who would not even understand the issues, unless they have family, or spent time in a truck.
You can see these at www.sharetheroad.com.au and I would welcome your comments and ask you to share it to those who will benefit from it.