Patience and resilience are two of the essential qualities displayed and required by long term, recent and potential operators in our road transport industry.
Becoming an overnight success in our industry is usually preceded by years of patience and resilience.
Patience and resilience to deal with traffic congestion, incompetent and impatient motorists, delays at DC’s and manufacturer’s receiving and dispatch facilities, lack of parking opportunities in major cities, lack of opportunities for meal and personal hygiene requirements.
Patience and resilience to deal with the pressures of legal and COR legislations and their impacts on operational requirements.
The ability, patience and resilience to deal with challenges such as the inevitable breakdowns and tyre failures that come with the operation of machinery, not to mention the frustration caused by finding highway rest opportunities thwarted by unknowing or inconsiderate recreational vehicle owners.
As well as displaying these qualities in spades truck drivers have always been required to make decisions continuously and correctly, in real time, that can have devastating effects if incorrect.
Finding an oncoming vehicle on the incorrect side of the road requires an instant and correct decision. Finding your journey route comprised by flooding, fire, road damage or accident requires an instant and correct decision for both safety and viability of operation.
Assessing a vehicle breakdown and determining if it can be self-remedied or requires more specialised attention is a common decision required from a driver and the correct decision is imperative to maintain viability and customer satisfaction and then there’s the patience and resilience required to keep a stranded vehicle safe until specialist help arrives.
Even though most modern trucks have a level of technology and telematics that resemble having a boss in the passenger seat, in so many ways drivers are still required to display a level of responsibility and autonomy that makes them masters of their own destiny.
It is little wonder then that when industry crises arise, this need to make constant and correct decisions can test the patience and resilience of even the most seasoned operators.
A recent spate of tragic accidents has led to a focus on licensing and training and the sudden evolution of social media platforms with thousands of followers each espousing their own immediate “fix” to the problems.
Similarly, the fact that allocation of Federal funding for rest areas after the last election, has not resulted in an instant proliferation of abundant parking has been the catalyst for much frustration.
The recent passing of the “Closing the Loopholes Bill” will take some time to filter through to improved viability, safety and sustainability as was heralded after the Senate Inquiry recommendations, and that to has led to criticism in certain corners for not having immediate effect.
After 50-plus years in this industry and as many years campaigning for better conditions, viability, and yes, even rates, there have only been three times in my memory that immediate change has ever been affected.
The first was the Razorback Blockade of 1979. Another was the Yass Blockade of 1989 and the third was the RSRT debacle of 2016. On all these occasions change occurred because of the support of a “critical mass” of the industry creating an undeniable force for change.
It is important however to note that despite the positive results achieved, none of these events solved all of the industry’s woes.
The removal of the dreaded road tax and an addition of two tonnes to the gross weight limit did not correct any of the viability problems, so well chronicled in Ted Stevens book “Razorback-The True Story “.
The overturning of Bruce Baird’s draconian impositions on the transport industry, left many of the industry’s darker secrets firmly behind closed doors.
Similarly, the demise of the RSRT, did not eliminate the problems, and, rather than being the end, has been the catalyst for much of the change that has led to the current emphasis on industry viability that is being progressed through Fair Work Australia.
In recent years the NRFA has, with the efforts of a very determined and dedicated leadership group, established itself alongside other industry groups including ARTIO and the various state transport associations, NatRoad, ATA, Transport Women Australia, Women in Trucking Australia and the TWU, to effect change in our industry.
We have, largely at our own individual cost, involved ourselves in industry issues such as the Rest Area committee, the Senate Inquiry and its outcome and various road safety initiatives. What all industry associations need now is the critical mass to achieve lasting and effective change.
We all need people with the patience, resilience and ability to take decisive action when required to become the critical mass to achieve lasting and meaningful change.
We need your ideas, passion and determination to steer our industry into the future. No more excuses! It is a very old cliche but for our industry, probably one now, more relevant than ever, “United we stand…”
Subscribe to the weekly Owner//Driver newsletter here.