National Road Carriers Association

RIDING THE ROLLERCOASTER

By James Smith, COO of National Road Carriers Association

James Smith

AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER SHOWED HOW QUICKLY THINGS

can change in the COVID world.

Once again, the daily routine was disrupted and our industry changed down a cog or two – and stepped up to face the challenges the Delta variant threw at us.

Any hope it was going to be a short-lived lockdown were dispelled as the number of contacts rose sharply, highlighting just how fast this variant can spread and just how mobile a population we are.

All in all, this time around was smoother than last year. We had, after all, been there and done that.

There was comfort that support packages would kick in and that the basic concept of lockdown-hard was the right strategy.

What was disappointing and somewhat surprising was the lack of clear and concise guidance from Waka Kotahi on what steps would be put in place to ensure that trucks would still be able to function.

Despite having been there and done that, Waka Kotahi was very slow to respond to basic questions raised on day one – such as the Certificate of Fitness expiry process, the driver licensing process and other back-end systems that simply stopped.

The team at the Road Transport Forum was quick to engage and ask the questions. The team at National Road Carriers already had the communication channels up and working the day of the announcement.

We knew it was only a matter of time before Delta escaped for a wee romp around New Zealand, as we were one of the few countries Delta had not visited. So why was there no blueprint that could simply be enabled?

Likewise, the Ministry of Health had gaps one would have thought should have been covered by now. Where was the plan to get essential workers vaccinated? Especially highly mobile essential workers – to keep supermarkets stocked and essential industry running.

There was also some initial confusion as to how to manage those deemed to be contacts. When were they safe to return to work?

One positive was that all freight was deemed essential by the Ministry of Transport and Police were quick to respond with their priorities regarding enforcement.

NZ should have been better prepared. After all we have one government, one ministry, one transport regulator and one police force.

Aside from Police and Ministry of Transport, the other standout agency was the Ministry of Social Development, which had the support packages up and functioning with dedicated liaison staff in place to smooth the way and answer (that’s right, actually answer!) questions.

This will happen again because, if not Delta, some other variant will pop up. Hopefully next time we will be ready to press the ACTION buttons and simply change down a cog and carry on delivering essential services with a team of exceptional people.

That’s enough of a rant: Onto more positive things. My first couple of months in the role have been filled with member meetings and catching up on projects that needed completing.

It was especially good to attend the Taranaki meeting in August – the week prior to the COVID Level 4 lockdown. It was well attended, with some great speakers.

As I said on the night, we will do a lot more of these as soon as we get the all-clear to travel and gather, so look for invitations to take part.

On the way back to Auckland, NRC chairman John Baillie and I stopped off for the opening ceremony of the Awakino Bypass which, despite the rain, was a festive event. The volume of trucks going past the ceremony was testament to how vital that corridor is.

Speaking with some of the iwi delegates, there was an opportunity to answer questions about why good roads are so important: No viable alternative for any of the loads that passed by, other than the trucks that carted them, showed just how much the supply chain has changed post deregulation.

The questions asked highlighted the communication gap between our industry and the public. We have work to do to increase the awareness of how trucks fit into the supply chain. What seems obvious to us is not always obvious to others.

As always, contact the team at the first sign of an issue, as issues are like fires – a lot easier to put out the sooner the team with a hose arrives. Call 0800 686 777 or enquiries@natroad.co.nz to get in touch. T&D