National Road Carriers Association

EMBRACING CHANGE

By James Smith, COO, of National Road Carriers Association

James Smith

LAST MONTH I TOOK PART IN SEVERAL DISCUSSIONS

on the supply chain, in particular how it was holding up in the face of Omicron and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

These discussions reinforced how important all operators are to the efficiency of the entire supply chain, highlighted how resilient our industry is and how New Zealand road transport operators are very good at adapting to change.

This resilience is the result of the make-up of our industry. Thousands of operators that, due to the scale of New Zealand, must be highly adaptable to survive.

There is not a part of New Zealand where you do not play a critical role.

As business owners it is easy to become overwhelmed by some of the challenges that you face such as global pandemics, climate change and European conflict.

In times like these we must all remember just how good we are at adapting to change and, often, finding opportunities where others see problems. 2022 is certainly throwing challenges our way and it will be vital for all of us to remain focused on things we are able to change.

We cannot individually bring an end to conflict, lower the price of a barrel of oil or stop the next variant of COVID from arriving.

We can, however, understand our business, know our costs and how to pass the inevitable increases on and, most importantly, look after our people, as without them the wheels stop.

National Road Carriers will be pushing hard for an end to policies that have made a small portion of society feel abandoned. We need to move as quickly as possible away from a culture of fear towards a society where no one is ostracised because of their opinions.

April will see submissions on road user charges reform close so if you have not had your say on this important issue please get in touch. There is plenty to digest in the discussion document and we have already had constructive dialogue with agency staff. This review will have long lasting impact so it is important that you engage.

March saw the launch of the next phase in Road to Zero campaign. There are too many parts of our network where a small mistake can lead to very serious consequences. National Road Carriers will be maintaining pressure on Government to ensure the strategy is more than lowering speed limits. Better quality roads and better educated drivers are critical if we are to reduce road trauma.

Finally, it is local body election time later this year. Take the time to know your candidates and what they stand for. The right to choose political leadership is a privilege we take for granted in New Zealand. This week I was reminded of how lucky we are in New Zealand when I met with a recent arrival that was buying their first truck, re-starting their life from scratch.

The NRC team are always available to assist anyone that choses transport as their profession. If there is anything that you need assistance with, call us on 0800 686 777. T&D