Fair Go for Owner Drivers

from WA TRANSPORT MAGAZINE - APRIL 2021 EDITION

WA Transport History

Over to you A FAIR GO FOR OWNER DRIVERS by Ray Pratt

DECENT MEALS AT ROAD HOUSES

Iwas in Kewdale a few weeks ago and went to one of the major truck stops for lunch. I’m not a fan of takeaways so opted for a sit down meal of fish chips and salad. It looked good on the menu and the price was right so I thought everything would be great.

What a disappointment. One greasy piece of fish and a salad that looked like it had been made several days ago. It was an effort to try and eat it and I left feeling annoyed.

A week later I was in the same truck stop and due to my previous experience I opted for a sandwich and coffee. I can report that the coffee was great but the sandwich was obviously made some time ago and the least I say about it the better.

I scanned around the restaurant and even though it was lunchtime, only a few tables were occupied. Maybe word had got out that the food wasn’t too flash.

When this establishment was built many years ago, come lunchtime you had to get in early just to get a seat. It was very popular and the meals were great and it was a great place to be and meet up with fellow drivers.

How times have changed and what a poor result for truck drivers to get a decent meal in such a busy transport area.

The subject of road houses and poor rest facilities for truck drivers has been a hot topic for many years and whilst the issue is often debated, very little is done to rectify the problems.

We would have all seen the recent survey done by The Monash University regarding health issues with truck drivers. It comes as no surprise to learn that most of us are overweight and have a myriad of health issues due to poor eating habits and lack of exercise.

I believe the downhill spiral of our road houses started about fifteen years ago when Coles took over all the Shell truck stops of takeaways. Truck drivers work hard delivering freight to Coles and this is how they are treated.

From their own mouths, these big corporations are only interested in the bottom line. I don’t think it would hurt them to have a think about their customers in the transport industry as where would their businesses be if fuel and supplies were not transported to them.

There is regular debate by various Government bureaucrats and the transport industry about truck driver fatigue, improving rest areas and road house conditions - but it’s always only talk and nothing gets done.

The reality is truck drivers are a very important cog in the transport industry but we are always considered to be at the bottom of the food chain and consequently that is reflected in the way we are treated.

The bureaucrats and high paid consultants can all come together and try to dictate fatigue and driving hours but nobody wants to look at the issues of poor conditions at road houses and the lack of facilities for transport operators.

I’ve always said that nobody wants to listen to the voice of truck drivers yet we are the people who actually drive on the road and put in the hard yards to keep our economy moving. All we are asking for is a decent quality of life while we work.

I don’t think it would hurt them to have a think about their customers in the transport industry as where would their businesses be if fuel and supplies were not transported to them.

and closed all the restaurants. It seemed to me that all they wanted was to get into the market of selling fuel.

Coles are not the only major company that has deserted the needs of our truck drivers and it is very rare now to find a truck stop that really cares for our basic needs.

I contacted Coles at the time and was told that restaurants are not our core business and these sites operate at a loss. The question was raised about caring for the needs of truck drivers and the answer was that we supply a good range