I watched the Four Corners episode on safety concerns surrounding the long haul trucking industry on Monday 3 February 2014. If you did not see this episode and if you are interested in road safety then I would strongly suggest that you have a look at the episode which is able to be seen on the Four Corners website which is http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/2014/01/30/3934918.htm.
What was disturbing about watching this show was the sense of déjà vu that came over me given that it is the same old story and one that we have all seen many times. Nevertheless, the problems associated with road safety and the long haul trucking industry continue. At the end of the food chain is the truck driver who is forced to make ends meet by driving as much as possible which inevitably leads to fatigue and accidents. In order to ensure that truck drivers receive a basic level of income the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal has been established.
The current Government and its Minister Eric Abetz are currently undertaking a review of this Tribunal and it may be abolished. The logic being that large stakeholders have lobbied the Government and the view put forward to support the abolishment of the Tribunal is that there is no link between pay and driver fatigue. I was appalled by this opinion which clearly is not correct. It is nothing more than a convenient statement to support the abolishment of the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal which has been set up to ensure that truck drivers earn sufficient money so that they do not have to take drugs and falsify log books and drive their trucks for up to 17 hours per day 6 days a week in order to make a sufficient living to pay their bills.
I have invited our professional staff to consider relevant issues and topics relating generally to road safety. Hopefully there might be something in this month’s newsletter that is of interest to you. The fact is that fatigue and accidents are a common occurrence in our region given that many people who live in Mackay and the Whitsundays travel to and from the mining towns on a daily basis.
Driving fatigued is just as dangerous as driving whilst under the influence of alcohol. It is a very real issue and one that cannot easily be solved.
The message from the Four Corners episode is that people are being killed by truck drivers who are being forced to work beyond their physical capabilities. The large companies who force drivers to do this are simply not accountable. We need to encourage our law makers to pass laws that regulate the trucking industry to preserve the safety of road users.
