Three years ago, leading into the 2008 election campaign, truckies staged a national strike, blocking the roads in protest at the then Minister of Transport’s announcement of an increase in road user charges.
It was Road Transport Forum (RTF) driven and many trucking operators put their employee drivers on the road that day to boost the numbers, which is a bit like a union paying union members to strike. It was timed well, and had an effect. Transport Minister Annette King set up a road user charges review group which reported back in 2009.
Now parliament is considering a Road User Charges Bill that has got the truckies up in arms again because it proposes to change the definition of licence weight from nominated gross weight to a definition based on the maximum permissible on-road weight.
The truckies are saying that this could mean increases in RUC charges for around 70% of the industry, forcing unproductive changes that could have impacts on safety, on damage to our roads, and financial consequences for SMEs. Basically, the big trucks will get off lightly, while the smaller trucks will pay more.
In a fascinating turn of events, truckies have told the government that they are organising to protest again and this time around they will be better organised than in 2008. One operator has set up a website which is worth a look.
There’s a split in the industry. Many are supportive of the New Zealand’s unique road user charging system, which is now attracting international interest as virtually every modern economy develops and trials technology to implement similar direct charging for heavy vehicles.
There’s some really smart modern operators in New Zealand now taking up the opportunity new technology offers to buy road user charges on-line and maximise efficiency.
Then you have the RTF, who continue to insist that road user charges should be paid through fuel excise and who appear to treat modern technology with suspicion.
Never thought I would be so interested in trucks.
To be honest, I’d like the truckies to pay their fair share. Heavy traffic damages New Zealand roads far more than private passenger vehicles, especially since the weight limit was increased last year. Additionally, if it hasn’t been done already, ACC levies may need to be re-examined as heavier vehicles carry with them the potential for more serious accidents.
And I’ve been thinking lately that road user charges should be removed from petrol and that petrol powered vehicles then have the necessity of having to buy road miles. This would give people a better budgeting position as they’d have more information available to budget with while also removing the cross subsidy from cars to trucks. It would also mean that boats that use petrol would no longer be paying to use the road.
It is good to see that MP’s are getting a good understanding of what is going on here. The associations will always treat technology with suspicion, one thinks probably due to the accountability associated with such technology. If you run a business that is compliant and therefore sustainable there is nothing to fear…
Contrary to the associations beliefs, our RUC system is world leading, and a system that we should all be proud of. We have a chance here to show the world what innovative and creative people Kiwis are.
I’d like to see more freight moved by train, will free up the roads and reduce the amount of maintenance they will need leading to lower road user charges more than offset by the train freighting charges. Steven Joyce must have told the boys they need to ramp it up this time cos of the tight hands on the purse strings, he needs national disruption to hget them what they want.
This almost sounds like, gulp, militancy. MOnty, SHG, Dave and Chris I look forward to your cries at outrage
I feel sorry for the truckies
@Spud
I don’t – they’ve been getting a free-ride from the rest of us for too long.
Yes Draco. A bit like farmers getting free water for irrigation, while the trucks pay so little for road upkeep considering the damage done. Fleets of trucks pass our way on the way to the ferry. The road has been resurfaced so often that even hedgehogs and possums have difficulty climbing up onto the roads.
But this isn’t the way to fix it. This bill will lead to more trucks on the road, more trucking operators re-engineering their trucks to avoid additional costs, more road congestion, more damage to the roads, higher emissions – you name it.
@ Darien Fenton
How?
I see costings being appropriately applied which should reduce the number of trucks on the road. I have NFI how you can “re-engineer” a truck to be lighter than it’s registered gross laden weight and I’m sure no trucker would do so as it would mean that they wouldn’t be able to carry as much. More damage to roads and higher emissions would only apply if those two were true.
We need more rail.
The RUC built into petrol are there so that the income isnt affected by compliance.
Imagine the police effort to check that every car was buying enough miles. Diesel powered cars are significant evaders of RUC. Plenty of police checkpoints wave through petrol vehicles but only target light commercial and diesel cars as it is.
I can remember working with a person who had no idea she had to buy ‘miles’ for her diesel car
“I’d like to see more freight moved by train”.
Coastal shipping is what I’d like to see some focus given to – given that NZ is so skinny and there is so very much coast.
Having said that though, trucks & buses are necessary to get goods to and from the depots. There’s never going to be train tracks to the farm gate. I always appreciate seeing trucks around – it means someone’s being productive. In my area it most often means something’s heading off to be exported.
Re accidents – the majority of accidents involving trucks aren’t caused by the truck or its driver. I always find truckies to be polite roadusers.
Bea – I’d like to see some stats to back up your statement “Re accidents – the majority of accidents involving trucks aren’t caused by the truck or its driver.”
Mike, the statement is correct. The statistics have been published many times. You must have missed them.
Do ya think that “speed” was a factor?
My comment was displaced by one space. Hi your majesty!
Hi Spud, most loyal servant of Labour.
I must have missed the stats re cause of accidents – the stats I can find show that trucks are over-represented in accident statistics, and that accidents involving trucks have higher injury rates.
I would rather have less trucks on the road than more.
Bea, not on Auckland motorways, they constantly are travelling at 90km in the fast lane and often when in middle lan behind another truck shove on the indicator and simply move.
But it is affected by efficiency. More efficient vehicles pay less RUC. And it really isn’t hard to check RUC on any vehicle – scan the plate, check the national database through mobile connection. Have the check query date of purchase of RUC and check against average mileage (theirs and national average). If it comes up under then the police pull them over.
Technically, there’s no way RUC can be dodged although, I think this rule needs to be changed so that the RUC must be current when sold. As it stands the new owner could become liable for mileage that the previous owner used.