The Aussie government has made the connection between truck related deaths and rates of pay, while our government continues to pretend that squeezing drivers’ pay through unfair contracting has no impact on our death and injury toll.
The Secretary for Workplace Relations, Senator Jacinta Collins has released a discussion paper, which canvasses a range of practical strategies to reduce deaths and improve road safety in the heavy transport industry.
Called the “Safe Rates, Safe Roads” paper, it explores options for a national approach to truck drivers’ pay and conditions and safety measures across the industry.
Built on the back of a Safe Rates Advisory Group set up by the Labor government last term, the government has managed to bring the industry, unions and other road users together for an honest appraisal of the problems of speed and fatigue in the road transport industry and the economic incentives for drivers to engage in unsafe work practices.
The Australians have come up with a clear body of evidence linking pay rates to safety on their roads. Like here, drivers feel pressure to work long hours to meet schedules, leading to work time breaches, speeding and cutting corners on maintenance.
The discussion paper examines a system of safe pay rates so drivers can work legally and safely and at the same time ensure that everyone is safe on the roads.
Meanwhile, we have “Safer Journeys” and the associated legislation which is due to be reported back in a week or so. A lot about young drivers and the BAC, but not much in it about trucks, even although we know the road freight task is going to double in the next couple of decades.
All we get is bigger trucks.
Given that the majority of trucks are owner operators – a lot of their arguments are with what labour did – remember the 4500 trucks that blocked Auckland in protest to the changes labour made?
Chris – you mean over an increase in road user charges for the truck operators? That’s a kind of user pays isnt it? THey do disproportionate damage to our roads and they are asked to contribute to it. You should see the road damage around, say, Eden Park from months and months of deliveries from trucks laden with stuff.
I’m pretty sure this post is about low wages and deaths. Between July 2008 (date of ptotest) and today, this Government has had a lot of time to step up.
But it impacted their earnings – thus lower wages – thus an increase in our death and injury toll.
Thus the actions of labour would have directly contributed to the issue that they are raising as a problem now.
@Chris – I remember the protest and I’m looking forward to seeing another one once the industry works out that they are actually paying more in ACC and RUC under National. I’ve talked to a lot of those drivers in the past year and found all is not rosy.
@Tracey – you got it.
You guys aint saying that chris is running a backward looking distraction tactic are you? One to divert attention away from the point of Darien’s post – worker pay and conditions affect safety at work (and in this case our safety too).
@Westie : I’ve talked to some of them too. Many of them were employees, not owner operators at the time of the protest, but their bosses put them on the road. It’s the owner drivers who are really being screwed and that’s making the roads more dangerous for all of us.
Darien – we also need a new class of license for all commercial operators. Bus and Taxi, courier and truck and instructors included. I’m thinking of immediately given to current operators for 5-10 years, New and renewals (5yrs) need to pass advanced driving course (every 5 years) basic mechanical (first use checks aka pilots), and when lost second time never returned.
Its just been too long since driving was a trade, too often now its used as an employment stopgap.
Agreed Darien!
Trucks are involved in about 26% of road fatalities, 10 times the so called “boy racers”, quite a bit more than alcohol and depending on whose stats 2 1/2 to 5 times “speeding”. Time for a sort out.