By the time this edition of OwnerDriver hits the newsstands, drivers’ rooms and roadhouses of the country, the 46th anniversary of the industry defining Razorback Blockade will have passed. It is doubtful that it will get even cursory recognition from our current crop of industry associations, who in many cases are unwilling to admit that this vagabond action was the forerunner to much of our current industry activism.
On April 2, 1979, a crazy brave group of individual truck owner drivers, with the late Ted Stevens as their spokesman, used their trucks to block the Hume Highway at Razorback Mountain and so began what one leading industry podcaster often refers to as “the greatest insurrection since the Eureka Stockade”.
The catalyst for this action was much the same as for the Eureka Stockade – a punitive tax inflicted with an iron fist on those least able to lobby and object. The actions taken and the successes achieved at Razorback over the next 10 days are etched into transport industry folklore, but there is a wider scope to the story which often goes untold and unrecognised.
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While the bravery of the original protagonists can never be denied, I’m sure that the surviving members of the original group would agree, without a groundswell of support from operators across the nation, the whole protest may well have been short lived. At its height, there were 3000 trucks blockading at 40 locations across four states of the country. Places such as West Wyalong, Boggabilla, Aratula, Kalkallo, Horsham, Goulburn and Yass are some that I can remember, and no doubt readers will recall many more.
I joined the blockade at Tocumwal on the picturesque Murray River border bridge between Victoria and New South Wales. To fully understand the commitment so many made to the cause, you have to appreciate that in 1979 our only forms of communication were the landline telephone, the 27megahertz CB radio and the John Laws radio show. This was an era before mobile telephones, internet, emails and social media, and certainly no Zoom meetings.
We had no way of getting instant communication with the blockade ‘headquarters’ and I’m sure that at Tocumwal at least, none of us had a clue who the bloody hell Ted Stevens, Spencer Watling, Jack Hibbert, Barry Grimson or Colin Bird were, but we were prepared to take a giant leap of faith into the unknown for the chance to achieve an outcome that would benefit the whole of the industry.
It is often said that this is one of the few times that the transport industry was truly united, but occasionally a level of persuasion was required to achieve that unity. Over the next 10 days we worked diligently with minimum communication to halt freight movements through our blockade while causing as little disruption as possible to essential services or the general public. And thankfully without any form of social media being in vogue, we were able to win the wide support of the local community and public at large. Many lifelong friendships were formed in those heady days and while names often escape me nowadays, whenever you cross paths with someone who was involved, there is a knowing sense of satisfaction, achievement and even pride.
On February 15 this year, the National Road Freighters Association held its Annual Conference in Brisbane and, while it was strongly supported by politicians, the NHVR, NTC, Fair Work Australia representatives, delegates from other industry associations and our loyal sponsors, if we are to be brutally honest, the level of support from owner drivers, small to medium operators and their drivers, who were the very people most likely to benefit from the information and presentations provided, was disappointing.
We are aware that attendance would have required a financial commitment and in a slowing economy that can be a restricting factor. Another uncomfortable truth is that all industry associations struggle to attract commitment from potential grassroots industry members without some form of membership gimmickry. Even the attendance of two legendary guest speakers Dean Croke and Chuck Snow, who have a huge following in transport analytics and on the Rates and Lanes Podcast and the sponsored appearance of a local social media celebrity failed to bolster attendances from the industry coalface.
The NRFA have in recent times been able to position themselves on the inside of many discussions and have been able to influence outcomes in the NHVL review and recent changes to the Industrial Relations landscape including the ‘Closing the Loopholes’ Bill. We are currently also working very hard at getting the NHVR’s approach to roadside intercepts of ‘Inform, Educate and Enforce’ to be adopted by all state NHVL enforcement agencies. We also have two board members very actively involved in the Rest Area Steering Committee in an endeavour to create a safer environment to allow heavy vehicle operators to manage their fatigue while remaining compliant.
For a minimal financial commitment of $120 per year, you too can have the opportunity to be heard in a group of likeminded operators who, like you, understand the complexities of operating a business in a highly competitive and regulatory complex industry. In a world where it is easy to gain information on everyone and everything involved, with just a small leap of faith you might also be involved in achieving positive outcomes, forming lifelong friendships and leaving a legacy for the future.
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