WA Transport Magazine

THE TRANSPORT AND MACHINERY MAGAZINE OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA ISSN 2202-6193

WA

100007516 July 2017 | price $6.95

TRANSPORT magazine

B & J CATALANO -

CELEBRATING 55 YEARS Built on quality service, hard work and the true Aussie fair-go spirit PAGE 20

in This Issue: Expected growth for Road Freight Industry

(Top) Stephen Catalano, (left) Clem Catalano and (right) Bill Catalano

The plan for Perth

How can we have a sustainable industry?

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Tel: 138 486 Fax: 9475 8455 Email: hvs@mainroads.wa.gov.au www.mainroads.wa.gov.au JULY 2017 | WATM

3

FOCUS

ROAD FREIGHT INDUSTRY ON AN UPWARD HILL TO GROWTH The road freight transport industry revenue is expected to grow by 2.3% per annum from $40.5 billion in 2015-16 to $47.0 billion in 2021-22, marginally lower than 2.8% GDP growth predictions for the same period.

That’s the conclusion of the Industry Overview Report on the road freight transport industry, published

by Bankwest as part of its Business Insights series.

The report identified a number of factors, internal and external to the industry, which are perceived to be driving this relatively modest forecast.

Bankwest Executive General Manager, Business Banking Sinead Taylor said the report identified important drivers behind the industry’s successes.

“It’s pleasing to see the small growth of the road freight transport industry, but what’s especially useful is when we’re able to see what’s driving that success,” she said.

Fuel price is a major cost factor 4

WATM | JULY 2017

for the industry and Australian diesel prices have been at their lowest levels since 2010-11 at 122.7 cents per litre on average for the 12 months to June 2016.

Conversely, the increased costs associated with a relatively weak Australian dollar will be likely passed on to consumers given the relatively inelastic nature of road freight transport. However, increased competition in the industry may force some providers to take hits to their bottom line and absorb the increased cost to maintain market share.

Taylor said the state of the road network was a concern for the industry, with road and port infrastructure being major external drivers of industry efficiency.

“Upgrades to cargo port facilities are currently underway in Sydney and Melbourne, and could add efficiency when completed. Additionally, the Federal Government has been encouraged to fast track a national

FACTS at a glance • Industry Revenue (2015-16) $54 .4 billion • Number of Road Freight Workers (August 2016) 192,600, three in 10 of those employed in the Transport, Postal and Warehousing industry, or 1.8% of all workers in Australia.

• Number of Road Freight Transport Businesses (June 2015) 48,753 • Road Freight Transport Wages in 2015-16 $13.1 billion • Proportion of businesses that exited market in 2014-15 12 .4% • Proportion of businesses with more than $2 million in turnover (June 2015) 6.4% • Employment has grown moderately in the past 12 months, increasing by 2.9%

To view the full report visit: www. bankwest.com.au/business/mediacentre/managing-my-business/ australian-industry-overviewreports-1292551434597?yr=0&p id=1292525329736

freight supply chain to improve Australia’s freight capacity. Productivity gains in the industry have been minimal since the early 2000s and any future gains based on increasing load sizes may be limited by the current national road infrastructure,” she said.

Beyond cost pressures, one of the key issues facing the road freight industry is a skills shortage and rising wages. This has largely been driven by regulation to ensure that drivers meet strict safety standards and an ageing workforce that is struggling to attract new and younger employees.

Other drivers identified by the report include: • Merchandise imports and exports falling commodity prices and lower demand from China have had a significant negative effect on the value of exports, thereby putting downward pressure on the total value of exports.

• Wholesale trade – this is a major customer for the Road Freight Transport industry group and is a proxy for demand from retailers, manufacturers and importers. Total sales of goods and services for the wholesale trade industry division has grown by a modest 1.0% in the year to June 2015, compared to 2.3% for all industries, indicating modest growth in demand for road freight transport.

• Producer Price Index (PPI) – this has grown steadily over the past 10 years, indicating higher costs for moving goods by road. The flattening of the road freight PPI is due to the road freight industry benefiting from lower wage growth and oil prices, even in the face of unfavourable movements in the exchange rate.

Taylor said the report been produced as part of Bankwest’s ongoing commitment to offer insights on economic data, trends and issues of value to its customers, businesses, communities and policy makers.

“Bankwest is committed to helping customers and local businesses achieve what matters, contributing to the development of our communities and being a positive voice in the debate on the future of the economy.

“These reports are designed to help businesses understand the factors impacting their industry, and how other businesses are performing,” she said. ■

Impact of the Federal Budget on the road freight industry

By Bankwest Chief Economist Alan Langford

W

hile the newly elected WA state government has abandoned the Perth Freight Link (PFL), the federal budget papers revealed that the federal government “remains committed” to the project on the strength of Infrastructure Australia’s (IA) assessment of it as a project of national significance.

Even though the PFL is now unlikely to proceed in the foreseeable future, the state government has secured a GST top-up payment from Canberra for a third year in a row - not as big as the two previous years, but the $226 million of top-up funding, plus another $166 million of underspend from previous projects, will go towards a clutch

of key road projects, the three biggest of which are: • A bridge and collector roads over the Kwinana Freeway connecting Armadale and North Lake Roads • Upgrading of Leach Highway, and • Access roads from the Kwinana Freeway to Fiona Stanley hospital.

Not that the northern suburbs have missed out altogether bridges over Wanneroo Road at Ocean Reef and Joondalup Drives are part of the package.

All the while remembering that no less than $400 million of work on the $1.1 billion NorthLink WA project is slotted to be spent in 2017-18, followed by another $214 million the following year.

JULY 2017 | WATM

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WA

FOCUS TRANSPORT

magazine

VOLUME 23 | NUMBER 6

From the publisher Angry Chicken Publishing Pty Ltd Telephone 0430 153 273 Facsimile 08 9296 0388 www.angrychicken.com.au ABN: 35 486 530 095

PUBLISHER / COMMISSIONING EDITOR Karen-Maree’ Kaye T: 08 9296 4488 Fax: 08 9296 0388 Email: karen@angrychicken.com.au WRITERS Russell McKinnon CONTRIBUTORS Carol Messenger, Peter Swift, Vince Ziino, Ray Pratt, Cam Dumesny ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES Angry Chicken Head Office T: 0430 153 273 E: karen@angrychicken.com.au

CONGRATULATIONS AND THANKS to Cam Dumnesy from WARTA, who in conjunction with other business groups in WA, bought key decision makers and the industry together for the recent WA Freight Summit. The highly successful Summit took our industry out of the shadows and on to the table and showcased the importance of our industry as a major sector of the economy that connects every other economic sector. Your opinions matter and that was what the Summit was about, to discuss issues and try and find solutions for the good of everybody.

The WA Freight Summit will become an annual event and next year there will be the opportunity for suppliers to be involved by adding a trade exposition.

Congratulation to the directors and staff at B & J Catalano on your 55 year anniversary. To read their story go to page 20 of this edition and be inspired by this hard working, down to earth group of people who possess the true 'Aussie Spirit'.

Best

Karen

DESIGN / PREPRESS Cally Browning | Bare Creative ACCOUNTS T: 08 9296 4488 Email: accounts@angrychicken.com.au PRINTER Vanguard Press

CONTENTS

SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscriptions available directly from the Publisher.

T: 08 9296 4488 E: karen@angrychicken.com.au Australia:  1 year $65.95 (inc GST) 2 years $127.55 (inc GST)

2 Road Freight Industry on an upward hill to growth

Overseas subscribers: Airmail postage will be added to subscription rate.

7 $1.5 billion annual productivity boost

Editorial Submissions: The Publisher welcomes editorial submissions. Once received they will become the property of the Publisher who reserves the right to edit the or adjust the content to fit with the format of our publication.

6 Truck charges must be set independently

10 New container movement study planned for Fremantle Port trade

West Australian Transport Magazine (WATM) is published by Angry Chicken Publishing Pty Ltd

11 Automated vehicle trials

ABN: 35 486 530 095 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, adapted or transmitted in any form by any process (graphic, electronic, mechanical or storage and retrieval system) or sold, resold or otherwise exploited for any purpose without consent of the Publisher.

12 Roe 8 Alliance redeployed

The publisher, contributors, editors and consultants disclaim any and all liability and responsibility to any person or party, be they a purchaser, reader, advertiser or consumer of this publication in regards to consequences and outcomes of anything done or omitted, or being in reliance whether partly or solely on the contents of this publication. No person, organization or party should rely on or on any way act upon any part of the contents of this magazine without first obtaining the advice of a fully qualified person. The Publisher shall have no responsibility for any action or omission by contributor, consultant, editor or related party for content within WATM. The opinions and content within WATM does not necessarily reflect those of the Publisher, editor or their agents. No responsibility is accepted for damage or loss of material supplied to the publisher.

13 Chain of Responsibility Compliance - Supplierss 14 WARTA - WA Freight Summit asks how can we have a sustainable industry 16 Boosting jobs and busting congestion

Officially endorsed by 6

WATM | JULY 2017

17 More than $89 million for regional roads 20 Profile - B & J Catalano celebrating 55 years 34 Random audits on employee superannuation 35 LRTAWA - Lets hear both sides of the story 36 HHCVC - Lights on the Hill 2017 Every Month 6 Questions to the Minister 8 A Fair Go for Owner Drivers 18 Dangerous Goods 38 WA Transport History 40 Model Trucks

JULY 2017 | WATM

7

OVER TO YOU

Q&A

Our West Australian Minister for Transport has kindly agreed to answer your most pressing questions for publication in the WA Transport Magazine. Our thanks go to the Minister for her time and readers, we hope you will take advantage of this opportunity. Please send your questions to the publisher at karen@angrychicken.com.au, or fax to 08 9296 0388.

FROM THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT - HON. RITA SAFFIOTI B BUS MLA MINISTER: With travel around the Perth metro area and to the Port, plus with the expected growth our state can expect, what are the plans now that Roe 8 has been shelved are you putting in place to relieve the pressure on main freeway’s and access roads and what is the expected delivery time.

ANSWER On Sunday 7 May, Premier Mark McGowan and I announced a $2.3billion program of road and rail infrastructure works to reduce congestion, improve road safety and provide shorter, more predictable journey times around our suburbs.

This package includes three significant projects to relieve congestion on Perth's freeways: • Between Russell Road and Roe Highway, the Kwinana Freeway will be widened from two to three lanes.

• On the section of Kwinana Freeway between Canning Highway and the Narrows Bridge, a separate project

will convert the current emergency stopping lane to a full-time running lane. On-ramp signalling will be coordinated to balance the flow of traffic entering the Freeway, making merging easier and reducing stop-start traffic conditions.

• In addition, the section of Mitchell Freeway between Cedric Street and Vincent Street will be widened to create additional lane capacity and reduce congestion during peak periods.

• Construction activity on all three projects will begin in 2018.

In addition, the widening of Armadale Road, a bridge between Armadale and North Lake Roads and the extension of Murdoch Drive to connect with Kwinana Freeway and Roe Highway will significantly improve access to and from Kwinana Freeway and reduce congestion at Cockburn Central and South Street respectively. Meanwhile, there are plans and $118 million dedicated to an upgrade High Street and Stirling Highway in Fremantle.

As part of the State Government’s

Freight and Trade plan released in 2016, we are committed to easing congestion on roads linking with Fremantle Port by increasing the freight on rail subsidy to encourage increased use of rail for container freight transport.

Ensuring that future trade needs are met in an efficient manner is a high priority for the State Government. We will be working closely with Fremantle Ports, Department of Transport, Department of Planning and other agencies to develop a comprehensive assessment of forward options for the Outer Harbour.

MINISTER: Can the Minister confirm that there are no plans to impose a toll or charge on heavy vehicles travelling from Muchea now that Roe 8 will not be going ahead?

ANSWER There are no plans to introduce tolls or heavy vehicle charges on WA roads.

TRUCK CHARGES MUST BE SET INDEPENDENTLY

T

he trucking industry has welcomed the release of the Australian Government’s discussion paper on options for an independent price regulator for heavy vehicle charges.

The Chair of the Australian Trucking Association, Geoff Crouch, said the ATA had long been an advocate for an independent price regulator to set truck charges.

“The Government has made an important step towards that goal by consulting on options for how an independent price regulator can be set up,” Mr Crouch said.

“Truck charges need to be set at arm’s length from government so they fairly represent the costs of heavy vehicles on the road network.

“As the discussion paper recognises, the current charging system is not

8

WATM | JULY 2017

working. When the National Transport Commission – an independent government body – found that the current system overcharged truck and bus operators, governments chose to freeze revenue instead of cutting charges to a fair level.

“Truck and bus operators will be overcharged for their use of the roads by more than half a billion dollars across the freeze period, 2016-17 and 2017-18.

“The ATA will work with our member organisations to provide the Government with recommendations on setting up the independent regulator.”

Truck and bus operators pay for their use of the roads through a fuel based road user charge, administered as a reduction in their fuel tax credits, and very high registration charges.

The Government has confirmed that the road user charge will reduce from 25.9 to 25.8 cents per litre from 1 July 2017.

“Trucking businesses operate on tight margins, and the confirmation of the reduction in the truck fuel tax rate provides welcome certainty for industry,” Mr Crouch said.

“The reduction delivers one of the recommendations of the ATA’s 2017-18 pre-budget submission.

“Due to the growth in the amount of freight on our roads, the reduction was needed to deliver the Australian Government’s part of the freeze on heavy vehicle revenue.

“Governments must agree to continue the revenue freeze beyond 30 June 2018 until the new independent price regulation system is established.”

NEWS

$1.5 billion annual productivity boost to Australia’s freight operators

A

ustralian road transport operators will be able to transport more goods using fewer vehicles thanks to new policies approved by ministers at a recent Transport and Infrastructure Council meeting that will allow trucks to carry larger but not heavier loads.

Chief executive of the National Transport Commission Paul Retter said the commission had developed the new policy settings to help people who transport lighter loads such as cotton, wood chips or hay get their goods to market more efficiently.

“These policy decisions pave the way for changes to the law that will help to reduce the number of trucks on Australian roads and give our nation’s transport industry a productivity boost worth up to $1.5 billion per year,” Mr Retter said.

“Our estimates show that as many as 5000 fewer rigid vehicles and up to 1700 fewer B-double vehicles would be needed to move the same volume of freight.”

Mr Retter said the changes would

THE CHANGES WOULD PERMIT AN INCREASE IN THE LENGTH OF RIGID VEHICLES OF UP TO TWO METRES AND THAT B-DOUBLES UP TO 30 METRES IN LENGTH WOULD BE PERMITTED AS LONG AS THEY MET CERTAIN STANDARD SAFETY REQUIREMENTS permit an increase in the length of rigid vehicles of up to two metres and that B-doubles up to 30 metres in length would be permitted as long as they met certain standard safety requirements.

“These changes will result in better road access, fewer trucks on our roads, less road damage and no reduction in road safety,” Mr Retter said.

Mr Retter said the current access restrictions for PBS level one vehicles

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will be removed to encourage more people to use safer and more efficient vehicles approved under the scheme. Allowing these longer vehicles to operate under general access conditions will give Australia’s transport operators another productivity boost.

“If this country wants to get serious about improving the productivity and safety of our road network we need to embrace the opportunities that PBS can provide and not be afraid to try sensible new approaches,” Mr Retter said.

To view the final policy paper visit www.ntc.gov.au/current-projects/ increasing-allowed-volume-wheremass-is-not-the-constraint-policywork-complete/ The proposed laws will be considered by Australia’s transport ministers at their next meeting scheduled for November 2017 and are likely to take effect in 2018. ■

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OVER TO YOU A fair go for owner drivers

COMPLIANCE AND ENFORCEMENT

I

have often said that we live in the best state if you wish to operate trucks. The Department of Main Roads in Western Australia are more about education than enforcement and fines and this is the key component that makes it different from the other states.

The same applies to our fatigue management system. It is flexible and very user friendly, especially when compared to the draconian system of log books and fines that exists in the other states.

Our fatigue system is not monitored by the police and fines, but is controlled

by Work Safe, and I think it is an excellent way of controlling fatigue in the transport industry.

We are certainly the envy of the other states when comparisons are made. The only letdown I find in Western Australia is the lack of enforcement within the transport industry. It is senseless to have laws that are not adequately enforced.

There is a growing resentment within the transport industry with the majority of us truck drivers who obey all the rules observing the blatant disregard for them by a minority group of truck drivers and companies.

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WATM | JULY 2017

THERE IS NOTHING WORSE THAN TO HAVE QUOTED ON A JOB AT THE RIGHT RATE AND THEN TO SEE SOMEONE COME IN CHEAPER AND WITH LITTLE REGARD TO ANY LAW THEY PROCEED TO TAKE ALL THE WORK AND OPERATE IN AN UNSAFE MANNER While it is fine to say that eventually over time, they will get caught and be punished in the meantime, they are creating a detrimental effect on the industry as a whole by keeping rates and safety standards at an all time low.

There is nothing worse than to have quoted on a job at the right rate and then to see someone come in cheaper and with little regard to any law they proceed to take all the work and operate in an unsafe manner.

Would it not be better to apprehend these cowboys of the transport industry and deal with them 'before'

they caused an accident or worse if they were to be the reason for a fatality?

Every day it is easy to see blatant disregard within the industry with overloading and poor load restraint.

Also it is easy to spot trucks with defects such as bald tyres and oil leaks and if it's so easy to notice these items then you can be sure that the maintenance of the vehicle is likely to not be up to scratch.

If it's so simple for me to notice such items then surely it would not be hard to police these illegal activities.

We do not need to have un-roadworthy and unsafe vehicles on our roads. The last thing we want is to constantly be harassed by law enforcement but we do need enough enforcement to educate drivers that the law is in place for a reason - so the laws would have more meaning.

At the moment the laws are losing their effectiveness and have little meaning. I know that it is not part of our culture but if we see dangerous work practices then we have an obligation to report these breaches in an effort to promote safety and maybe save lives. â– Keep it safe. Ray Pratt.

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11

NEWS

New container movement study planned for Fremantle Port trade

Australian guidelines for automated vehicle trials invite nationwide testing of new-era technology

A

ustralian governments are taking steps to move to a new era of mobility, with the launch of national guidelines for trials of automated vehicles.

Guidelines for trials of automated vehicles in Australia is a joint publication of the National Transport Commission (NTC) and Austroads. The guidelines support state and territory road agencies in providing exemptions or permits for trials, and give greater certainty to industry on conditions for trials.

Chief Executive of the NTC Paul Retter said the guidelines were designed to be flexible and easy for industry to use, to support trials across Australia.

T

he Container Movement Study undertaken by Fremantle Ports in 2012 with the involvement of Main Roads WA, the Department of Transport and the Freight and Logistics Council of Western Australia will be updated this year.

The aim is to gather current information on the origin and destination of containers travelling to and from Fremantle Port through their landside supply chains. The updated findings will improve understanding of the transport, storage and distribution of full import and export containers as well as the movement of empty containers.

The Container Movement Study 2012 includes information regarding the movement of containers between container terminals, empty container parks, staging areas and import/export customers. This equated to about 78% of all containers passing through the Port of Fremantle over the period of the study.

The information was compiled into a comprehensive database which has been used since that time as a key source of statistical information as to the nature and scale of the landside container logistics task.

Fremantle Ports Manager Logistics, Doug Brindal, said that in the six

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WATM | JULY 2017

years since the study, there had been significant changes in the supply chain.

“The 2017 Container Movement Study will be conducted in a similar way to the previous study. It will involve a survey of the various container supply chain participants in August,” he said.

“Such container movement studies are an invaluable tool in understanding the WA container supply chain and associated truck movements.

“The information will enable better planning of future infrastructure requirements in support of facilitating port trade efficiencies. It will also inform policy makers of trends and developments.

THE AIM IS TO GATHER CURRENT INFORMATION ON THE ORIGIN AND DESTINATION OF CONTAINERS TRAVELLING TO AND FROM FREMANTLE PORT THROUGH THEIR LANDSIDE SUPPLY CHAINS

“The CMS will also provide information that will contribute to a wider Commercial Vehicle Survey being undertaken by Main Roads WA throughout 2018.”

In preparation for the study, Fremantle Ports has been working to ensure that industry participants understand the purpose of the study, the data required and how it will be collected.

The four key aims of the 2017 Container Movement Study are to: • conduct a quantitative analysis of the movement of shipping containers over a typical two-week period throughout their supply chain • integrate the data into a format that allows ease of analysis and ready comparison with previous data and studies • produce a report of the findings, with a comparison to the results from the previous study; and • contribute to the knowledge of all aspects of the container transport at the Port of Fremantle to assist in infrastructure planning and operational efficiency.

Fremantle Ports is seeking the support and cooperation of industry participants and will be appointing consultants to assist in the preparation and analysis of results of the study. ■

“We have worked closely with vehicle manufacturers, technology developers and federal, state and territory governments to ensure our approach to trials is nationallyconsistent and reflects best practice,” Mr Retter said.

“With a range of different environmental conditions, a receptive population and now guidelines for the safe conduct of trials, Australia has the potential to become a global testing and innovation hub for automated vehicles.”

Industry will have enormous flexibility in the type of trials that can be run – they simply need to address some key issues. These include having: - a clear scope of operations, - a safety management plan that addresses risks, and - appropriate insurance.

Trialling organisations will also need to provide data from trials to road transport agencies, including details of any crashes.

“This approach allows industry to innovate – they just need to demonstrate that they are managing the risks, including any risk to other road users,” Mr Retter said.

State and territory governments are also reviewing their exemption powers to ensure that they have appropriate powers to support trials.

Nick Koukoulas, Chief Executive of Austroads, said the guidelines draw on international best practice and have a strong focus on safety.

“By establishing a performancebased framework to support on-road trials, these guidelines aim to assure the Australian community that roads are being used safely,” Mr Koukoulas said.

“We’re looking forward to the Australian public getting a first-hand view of the benefits of these new and emerging technologies.”

The release of these guidelines is the first stage of the NTC’s reform roadmap to support the deployment of

automated vehicles. Ministers agreed to this roadmap in November 2016, which includes a series of reforms to develop an end-to-end regulatory system for eventual commercial deployment of automated vehicles. ■ For more information visit: www.ntc. gov.au/current-projects/automatedvehicle-trial-guidelines

Tracking container trade logistics When analysed, the information collected will provide an up-to-date understanding of transport, storage and distribution of full import and export containers as well as the movement of empty containers.

The study, to be jointly undertaken by Fremantle Ports and the Centre for Supply Chain and Logistics, will involve industry surveying towards the end of August for two weeks.

For further information or clarification contact: Sophie Gillespie at sophie.gillespie@fremantleports.com.au

JULY 2017 | WATM

13

www.fremantleports.com.au

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Fremantle Ports seeks the support of industry participants in a new Container Movement Study to gather current information for supply chain planning.

NEWS

Roe 8 Alliance redeployed to three new projects A

workforce of 231 people, previously employed for the cancelled Roe 8 project, will be reassigned to work on three alternative road upgrades.

Funding for the projects is the result of a new Commonwealth-State $2.3 billion agreement that includes the full relocation of funding from the cancelled Perth Freight Link project.

The new agreement safeguards Roe 8 jobs and will relieve congestion in the northern, eastern and southern suburbs of Perth.

The alternative projects negotiated from the Roe 8 contract will also create hundreds of other indirect job opportunities for local contractors and suppliers.

The Roe 8 renegotiation includes the following road projects: • Wanneroo Road (Joondalup Drive to Flynn Drive) - Constructing Dual Carriageway (Project Costs: $31 million) • Fiona Stanley Hospital and Murdoch Activity Centre access from Kwinana Freeway and Roe Highway - (Project Costs: $100 million) • Armadale Road dual carriageway upgrade between Anstey Road and Tapper Road (Project Costs: $145 million).

Construction on the first of the three projects - the Murdoch Drive connection - is expected to begin almost immediately.

Meanwhile, the Wanneroo Road and Armadale Road dual carriageway upgrades will start construction during the 2017-18 financial year.

The Roe 8 Alliance contractors will be paid about $40 million for the work they have done so far while a further amount - less than $10 million - will be paid in lieu of their lost opportunity to fully recover overheads.

Total State Government expenditure on the Roe 8 project will be $85 million, however, after allowing for retained assets such as land, the written off costs total $46.9 million.

The alliance team will also collaboratively manage the rehabilitation of the cleared Roe 8 site in Coolbellup.

The program will be informed

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WATM | JULY 2017

by a working group comprising representatives from the State and local governments, the local community and the alliance.

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti says, "We have worked closely with Main Roads, the Roe 8 Alliance and the Commonwealth Government to bring forward important projects that will relieve congestion, reduce journey times and improve safety in key locations on our road network. ■

THE ALTERNATIVE PROJECTS NEGOTIATED FROM THE ROE 8 CONTRACT WILL ALSO CREATE HUNDREDS OF OTHER INDIRECT JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR LOCAL CONTRACTORS AND SUPPLIERS

Would you like to get involved?

T

he National Transport Commission is performing research to assess the impacts of the Heavy Vehicle National Law on work and rest hours on driver fatigue.

The researchers are interested in hearing from: • Drivers who undertake local or long-distance driving (minimum 30 h/week), and work either standard hours or BFM. • Heavy Vehicle Operators of all sizes, including owneroperators, and across all industry sectors, including livestock and dairy.

The project involves an on-road field trial and then a controlled study in a laboratory and on a closed-loop test track. ■ For more information email: med-crc.drivealert@monash.edu

Waterloo Industrial Park plan open for public comment

A

draft district structure plan for a new industrial park that could create thousands of jobs in the South-West has been released for public comment.

The proposed Waterloo Industrial Park, on the outskirts of Bunbury, is expected to help drive long-term economic growth in the region.

Waterloo will deliver land for commercial, light and general industrial uses, and has been identified as a suitable agri-food processing precinct.

The park's close proximity and accessibility to the planned new urban area of Wanju, Bunbury Port and the wider South-West

region will help create local job opportunities.

Development of both Waterloo and Wanju was identified in the Western Australian Planning Commission's Greater Bunbury Strategy (2013).

Waterloo is proposed to provide another future employment option for people in the neighbouring suburb of Wanju, which is expected to house 50,000 people once fully developed.

The public can have their say on the draft district structure plan from May 17, 2017. ■ For more information, visit www. planning.wa.gov.au/waterloo

CHAIN OF RESPONSIBILITY COMPLIANCE – SUPPLIERS

M

ain Roads often receives enquiries regarding to what extent the supplier is required to go to in order to ensure they are meeting their legal responsibilities under the Chain of Responsibility (CoR) Legislation, particularly in relation to compliance with mass and dimension requirements. Whilst Main Roads recommends each supplier obtains their own independent legal advice, the following can be used as a guide.

Under CoR all parties who have control or influence over the transport task are deemed responsible for complying with and for breaches of these laws. To put it simply, the supplier needs to take all reasonable steps to ensure vehicles leaving their premises are loaded to within the allowable mass limits and dimension limits that relate to the particular vehicle.

REASONABLE STEPS YOU CAN TAKE When considering dimension, the supplier has a responsibility to ensure the product they are loading or supplying is loaded to within the allowable dimension limits for the specific vehicle. They also need to check to ensure the driver of the vehicle has an appropriate permit for the type of product being supplied. For example, if the load is over-dimensional, the supplier has a responsibility to ensure the driver has an appropriate oversize permit and the product is loaded within the dimension limits

UNDER COR ALL PARTIES WHO HAVE CONTROL OR INFLUENCE OVER THE TRANSPORT TASK ARE DEEMED RESPONSIBLE FOR COMPLYING WITH AND FOR BREACHES OF THESE LAWS specified on the permit.

Additionally, the supplier must ensure a vehicle combination, such as a road train, is actually allowed to travel on the roads that access their premises. While it is not expected that a supplier checks the entire route the vehicle has used to reach their premises, consideration must be given to the road/s directly around their premises. This may mean they need to familiarise themselves with the Restricted Access Vehicle (RAV) Network classifications. This information can be found on the Main Roads website, via the Heavy Vehicles home page and by selecting the RAV Network Access tab.

CHECKING THE ROADS AROUND YOUR PREMISES The Main Roads website contains a RAV Mapping Tool that provides a seamless base map of Western Australia using a simple interface, providing users the ability to access network information and associated conditions. This tool can be used to determine the classification of roads surrounding a supplier’s premises.

With regards to mass, legislation requires a vehicle to be loaded to within

the allowable gross mass limit, axle mass limits and the vehicle’s ratings.

The supplier will again need to check if the driver has a permit that allows a higher mass limit than those prescribed in legislation and will need to ensure the vehicle is suitably rated for the amount of product being loaded. Prior to the vehicle’s departure of the site, the supplier needs to be satisfied that the vehicle is within the allowable gross mass limit, as well as within the allowable axle mass limits.

USING WEIGHBRIDGES If the supplier has a certified weighbridge capable of recording / displaying the mass on each axle group and each vehicle is weighed before departing the premises, this would be considered the most reliable method of ensuring the vehicle has been loaded to within the allowable mass limits. It is also necessary for the supplier to have processes in place to deal with vehicles that have been overloaded and rectify the overload prior to allowing the vehicle onto the road network. To avoid difficult situations, Main Roads suggests that all suppliers check for appropriate permits or access approvals prior to loading any product on any vehicle. ■ For more information about the CoR or on how to use our online products please call Main Roads Heavy Vehicle Services Helpdesk on 138 486 or visit www.mainroads.wa.gov.au JULY 2017 | WATM

15

OVER TO YOU - WARTA

WA Freight Summit asks how can we have a sustainable industry?

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he WA Freight Summit was an absolute outstanding success in bringing together all parts of the West Australian economy and freight sector.

Regardless if they were users, providers, educators or regulators of freight and logistics - people came to contribute to how we can drive this state forward.

Ok, so what does that mean in reality?

The harsh reality is that the transport industry are price takers and have little to no real influence. Whining on Face book may make you feel good, but it has no effect as the only people reading it are often in the same boat.

Hence the Summit We brought in customers, governments at all levels and just went through the basics.

The customers such as CBH point out a harsh truth, that they are competing in global markets and if the cost of our wheat is too high when it lands in the customers country well it doesn’t sell. With more countries such as the Ukraine and some southern Russian republics, plus Canada and even Argentina are now producing more wheat. That competition is only going to get worse.

If we lose, then not just the farmers, but every transport company that supplies our Wheat belt region or carts lime, fertiliser, chemicals or the wheat are going to hurt as well.

Wesfarmers Chemical, Energy and Fertiliser division also highlighted the same message that we compete in global markets. So even if you cart between Lake Grace and Perth – you are part of Western Australia’s effort to remain

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globally competitive.

I will talk about the Urban issues next time that were discussed at the Summit.

However continuing on, so while the customers were stressing that we need to globally competitive, the industry also pointed out that we need to be sustainable.

Creating a Sustainable Industry If you want a professional and safe transport industry then you need to have a profitably industry. Profit means that there is money to invest in maintenance, compliance, training, new equipment and technology etc, etc.

But as margins are currently in many cases less than one percent, the industry can’t be considered sustainable. At those rates the money is better off in the bank or anywhere else other than transport.

The problem is very simple there are too many operators and not enough work.

You do not even need a truck anymore to start up in the industry. Just a phone or website, ring up customers and tell them you can save them on rates, then ring around desperate transport operators to see who will do it for the cheapest price.

Note: I make no secret of the fact we want the Owners, Directors etc of any of these online brokerage sites to be held liable under the Chain of Responsibility for any breach of mass, dimension or load restraint. And I am actively making sure the laws are changed to specifically name them.

But as an industry we are our own worst enemy. Recently I was talking to a driver with over 30 years behind the wheel.

He was telling me how it still amazes him that so many operators have no real idea how to actually work out how much it costs to run a truck. Words like back-rates or just for fuel money etc should be outlawed.

The summit discussed these issues and more and then started to ask the question well - what is the solution?

Yes there are some things that can be done – but the harsh truth is that if there are more operators than work then the customers are always going to find someone to do it cheaper.

And that means we cannot have a sustainable industry ■

W

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For all training enquiries: Phone: (08) 9355 3022 Email: training@warta.com.au www.warta.com.au

Western Australian Road Transport Association | RTO 0298

JULY 2017 | WATM

17

NEWS

Great Eastern Highway passing lanes completed in the Goldfields

E

Boosting jobs and busting congestion -

the plan for Perth

F

ollowing a major infrastructure deal struck by the State and Federal Governments thousands of jobs will be delivered along with a range of congestion busting road projects across Perth.

In the southern suburbs more than $552 million in funding will be spent on six road projects. More than $600 million for Perth's eastern suburbs on six road projects and $186 million for the northern suburbs with four projects - creating in total over 9000 jobs.

Southern suburbs projects: Murdoch Drive Connection - to Kwinana Freeway and Roe Highway Cost estimate: $100 million Jobs created: 700 Kwinana Freeway southbound on-ramp from Manning Road Cost estimate: $35 million Jobs created: 100 Kwinana Freeway Smart Freeways/ Intelligent Transport Systems - Roe Highway to Narrows Bridge Cost estimate: $47 million Jobs created: 245 Armadale Road to North Lake Road Bridge Cost estimate: $237 million Jobs created: 1,400 Armadale Road Dual Carriageway 18

WATM | JULY 2017

Anstey Road to Tapper Road Cost estimate: $145 million Jobs created: 850 Kwinana Freeway northbound widening - Russell Road to Roe Highway Cost estimate: $49 million Jobs created:: 340

ight eastbound lanes and seven westbound lanes, each with an average length of three kilometres, have been built along 225km of the Great Eastern Highway between Kalgoorlie-Boulder and Southern Cross.

This project was managed by Main Roads and delivered by WBHO Infrastructure Pty Ltd and provided jobs for up to 100 people during the construction period.

To complement the new passing lanes, WBHO Infrastructure will complete a further 6.7km of extra highway overlay and widening

Roe Highway/Kalamunda Road Intersection Cost estimate: $86 million Jobs created: 600 Reid Highway Dual Carriageway Altone Road to West Swan Road Cost estimate: $70 million Jobs created: 400

Leach Highway - Upgrade of High Street between Carrington Street and Stirling Highway Cost estimate: $118 million Jobs created: 700

Hale Road/Woolworths Drive Intersection upgrade Cost estimate: $900,000

Karel Avenue upgrades - between Farrington Road and Berrigan Drive Cost estimate: $15 million Jobs created: 100

Wanneroo Road/Ocean Reef Road Interchange Cost estimate: $65 million Jobs created: 350

Eastern suburbs projects: Armadale Road Dual Carriageway Anstey Road to Tapper Road Cost estimate: $145 million Jobs created: 850 Armadale Road to North Lake Road Bridge Cost estimate: $237 million Jobs created: 1,400 METRONET - Denny Avenue: Level Crossing Removal Cost estimate: $62 million Jobs created:: 350

Northern suburbs projects:

Wanneroo Road Dual Carriageway - Joondalup Drive to Flynn Drive Cost estimate: $31 million Jobs created: 175 Wanneroo Road/Joondalup Drive Interchange Cost estimate: $50 million Jobs created: 280 Mitchell Freeway southbound widening (Cedric Street to Vincent Street) Cost estimate: $40 million Jobs created: 280 â–

works on this section of Great Eastern Highway, about 30km east of Boorabbin, by mid-2017.

WA Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said, "This 225km section of Great Eastern Highway carries about 1,200 vehicles per day and more than 30 per cent of these are heavy vehicles.

Between 2010 and 2014, there were 103 crashes on this stretch of highway.

"These new overtaking lanes will provide regular passing opportunities, helping to reduce driver frustration.

They will also improve travel time and address safety issues that have contributed to vehicle incidents along this road.

"At each location, the highway has also been widened to provide a one metre sealed shoulder and a one metre unsealed shoulder, which further improves safety." ■

More than $89 million to be spent on regional roads under Commonwealth and State funding agreement FACT BOX • Regional road safety to receive a $44 million boost • Planning for the Bunbury Outer Ring Road to receive $12.5 million • Outback Highway connecting Western Australia with the Northern Territory and Queensland to have $33 million upgrade

TYPE-APPROVAL APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN FOR ON-BOARD MASS SYSTEMS

T

ransport Certification Australia (TCA), the national government body responsible for providing assurance in the use of telematics and related intelligent technologies, has announced it is now accepting applications for typeapproval of OBM Systems.

Following the recent release of the OBM System Functional and Technical Specification, type-approval will make available to end users OBM Systems which have been independently assessed, and can deliver the assurance sought to underpin productivity and safety gains.

TCA Chief Executive Officer, Mr Chris Koniditsiotis said, “TCA typeapproval is more than just a technical assessment of OBM Systems, and extends to an assessment of the business standing of OBM System suppliers. This holistic approach to type-approval delivers assurance in two critical ways.”

“Firstly, a probity and financial assessment ensures the legitimacy and financial standing of suppliers seeking type-approval of their OBM System. The outcomes of the probity and financial assessment are critical indicators of OBM System suppliers’ ability to deliver the level of business continuity and support expected by stakeholders.”

“Secondly, by performing an

independent assessment of OBM System ‘types’, type-approval ensures that each of the performance-based requirements contained in the OBM System Functional and Technical Specification are satisfied.”

“The functional and technical assessment of OBM System ‘types’ focuses on performance based outcomes, rather than prescribing technological approaches. TCA recognises that there are often many different ways to achieve an outcome, fostering innovation and best practice, and importantly, promoting competition and choice for end-users.”

“This approach is a hallmark of the National Telematics Framework, which provides a marketplace of certified services and type-approved hardware and systems which offer assurance to industry and government alike.”

“Over time, we expect a variety of type-approved OBM Systems to become available in the marketplace,” said Mr Koniditsiotis.

“With OBM System suppliers having provided valuable input and feedback on the OBM System Functional and Technical Specification, I expect many OBM System suppliers are ready to commence the type-approval process with TCA.” ■

T

he McGowan Government will invest $89 million towards regional roads, including progressing planning for a Bunbury Outer Ring Road and improving safety.

Planning for the Bunbury Outer Ring Road will receive $12.5 million to progress the design of the future project.

The Outer Ring Road is intended to improve safety for road users and reduce freight and passenger vehicle congestion in Bunbury.

It will also offer an efficient freight route, improving access to the Bunbury Port where truck access is impeded.

A DETAILED WORKS PROGRAM WILL BE DEVELOPED OVER THE COMING 12 MONTHS WITH DELIVERY OF PROJECTS IN 2018-19.

Another $44 million will be spent on road safety projects in Western Australia's regional areas.

This funding will address road safety issues throughout WA and will be spent over the next three years, generating 280 jobs.

A detailed works program will be developed over the coming 12 months with delivery of projects in 2018-19.

Meanwhile, $33 million has been allocated for further work on the Outback Highway, pending the outcome of a strategic review of the route.

The projects are part of a $2.3 billion Commonwealth-State package made up of reallocated Perth Freight Link funds and a Commonwealth GST top-up payment to be spent on priority road projects.

Premier Mark McGowan says, "This announcement includes a significant contribution to improving safety on regional roads where there are high instances of fatalities. ■ JULY 2017 | WATM

19

FOCUS

DANGEROUS GOODS

By Michael Wolter, Dangerous Goods Officer

Don’t drop your DG bundle Packaging requirements for dangerous goods

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s dangerous goods officers we are tasked with checking a large number of items when we inspect a truck or site.

One item that can be overlooked by operators, when storing or transporting dangerous good is the packaging.

Did you know that packagings have a maximum lifespan stipulated by the current version of the Australian Code for the Transport of Dangerous Goods

by Road and Rail (ADG 7.4)? Plastic drums, plastic jerricans, rigid plastic intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) and composite IBCs with plastic inner receptacles have a life of five years.

This simply means that after five years they can no longer be used to contain dangerous goods. Additionally, plastic packaging used for nitric or hydrofluoric acid has a lifespan of only two years from the date of manufacture.

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WATM | JULY 2017

(above) Example: An example of a packaging approval number (below) Packaging: Non-approved containers damaged during the transport of dangerous goods

A packaging that has passed its use by date has an increased risk of failing, either in normal operation or in the event of an accident. There have been a number of incidents reported to the Department where out-of-date packaging has failed.

Packaging that is used for Dangerous Goods is required to be tested and meet certain criteria (with the exception of packaging for limited quantities). This testing must be performed by a recognised testing facility, as defined in regulation 57 of the Dangerous Goods Safety (Road and Rail Transport Non-explosives) Regulations 2007. A report is then submitted to the competent authority for approval. In Western Australia, the competent authority is the Chief Dangerous Goods Officer of the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (formerly the Department of Mines and Petroleum).

Once the packaging is approved, it

is issued with a packaging approval number that contains information to enable those responsible for the transport of dangerous goods to quickly identify if the goods are packaged in the correct container.

WHAT DOES THE PACKAGING APPROVAL NUMBER TELL US? The packaging approval number is preceded by (the UN approval mark) and contains package marking codes separated by slashes. It designates the type of packaging and its construction material, a code for the packaging group and mass or density, whether it contains a solid (S), or the test

pressure of the container for liquids, the year of manufacture, the country of manufacture, and the approval number.

In some cases the packaging approval number will also have extra information. For example, packaging approval numbers for IBCs may also list the approved stacking weight.

See Section 6.1.2 of the Australian Dangerous Goods Code (ADG 7.4) for more information on packaging codes.

Understanding the safety requirements around dangerous goods packaging is essential for prime contractors, drivers and consignees, all of whom are involved as part of the transport chain of responsibility.

USEFUL RESOURCES Australian Code for the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Road and Rail Edition 7.4 (ADG Code). National Transport Commission, www.ntc.gov.au For information on dangerous good packaging requirements access the following documents through the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety web page at www.dimirs.wa.gov.au * Beyond the gate – site responsibilities for transporting dangerous goods – pamphlet * Six pillars of dangerous goods transport – packaging – toolbox presentation ■ JULY 2017 | WATM

21

PROFILE - B & J Catalano Celebrating 55 Years

B & J CATALANO Built on quality service, hard work and the true Aussie fair-go spirit 22

WATM | JULY 2017

(Above) Bill and Joe Catalano - The early days (Left) Bill Catalano

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ith strong arms, a stiff back and a fierce determination, Bill Catalano is a typical example of immigrant stock, working the land for his family’s benefit.

Not a sit-back-and-feet-up person, Bill is equally at home in the yard, driving a truck or scraper as he is in the boardroom.

In fact, we met up in the boardroom and he almost looked out of place with his sleeves rolled up, work clothes crumpled and ready for another day outdoors.

Bill will never be someone looking for a pension or retiring and his 82 years on the planet attest to his hard labours and will to survive, despite whatever the economic climate throws at him.

Bill is the managing director of B & J Catalano, earthmoving giants in the South-West of Western Australia and based in the small town of Brunswick Junction.

Just a blow through point on the South-Western Highway, closer to Bunbury than Perth, Brunswick Junction is in reality a Catalano town.

Dairy producer Peter’s was a big employer, but the downturn in the economy and centralisation saw much of that company’s production shift to Perth in recent years.

Bill established the company with brother Joe in 1962 and they have ridden the waves of growth and contraction ever since. Joe, sadly, departed this world in 1995 but son Clem is a director of the company, JULY 2017 | WATM

23

PROFILE - B & J Catalano Celebrating 55 Years

alongside his cousin — Bill’s son Stephen.

The trio is maintaining the company’s values of quality service, hard work and the true Aussie fair-go spirit.

Talking to Bill, Stephen and Clem is like chatting around a fire under a starlit night, spinning yarns, reminiscing and gazing into the future.

The fact that the company is still racing forwards with 55 years in the can this year is testament to that culture being firmly implanted into each and every worker.

Chatting to some of those workers and you get the impression they are just one big family and love going to work each day. They are proud of their contribution and the years they have happily put into the company.

The company currently has about 200 staff, down from the peak days when it employed more than 440.

Bill and Joe came from a big Italian family and elder brother Sam used to cart wood off Kings Park in Perth and supply the children’s hospital and to restaurants in Victoria Park, among

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WATM | JULY 2017

other places, for their wood stoves.

Bill recalls: “He used to deliver wood in baskets on his back during the depression. We have still got dockets where he sold a cord for two shillings.”

The connection with Brunswick Junction came in about 1941-42 when Sam used to cart milk for Peter’s. He did not see the need to expand his operations other than keep himself in a job for his family.

Bill and Joe started up their company, carting gravel while brother Michael established a grading company.

The Catalano empire began with a small shed on the current block.

Bill took up the story about he, Joe and Mick set about erecting a building without council approval. Once the council inspector told them to stop they took a tea break and proceeded anyway.

The original building now houses the boardroom and administrative complex. It was built on the site of the old Brunswick stockyards and has grown exponentially into what is now a huge hard stand with a

massive workshop that handles all the machinery maintenance.

Transport became earthmoving and today the focus is on the latter — a large part of the company’s operations.

Bill says that the company now spends a lot of its time transporting its gear to earthmoving sites. And what an inventory of gear that is!

From the early days when Bill said buying a new vehicle was a “thrill”.

“In the mid-60s we bought a lot of new gear and we got a buzz. Now it’s a pain in the a****. No buzz now, just a number.”

There are big numbers involved in earthmoving and Bill recalls buying some Caterpillar scrapers worth nearly $10 million in one order. “There’s big money in earthmoving. With transport there are tight margins.”

Catalano’s extensive fleet of equipment includes some 80 prime movers, together with an impressive list of earthmoving equipment, including scrapers, graders, dozers, excavators, loaders, compactors, bobcats, etc. The majority of

Mark Kingston- Fleet and Asset Manager

Alyce Vigar - HR Manager and Brett Harnett South West Operations Manager

earthmoving equipment is built around Caterpillar, Komatsu and Hitachi.

Stephen weighs in on the current climate and what the mining boom did to the State. “The mining boom was the worst thing that happened to

Australia, over-inflating everything. It hurt the wage earner.”

Bill expressed his opinion: “We don’t want another boom like that. The lows are the pits. We’re in the biggest low right now.”

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Clem says: “However, the last 12-18 months things have started to pick up a bit.”

He says that running a big company is no easy task: “It’s so hard, difficult and stressful. It’s not the hard work

THE TRANSPORT AND MINING SUPPORT PEOPLE Boomerang Engineering started dealing with B&J Catalano in 1989. On behalf of all the staff and management of Boomerang Engineering, we would like to congratulate B&J Catalano on your 55th Anniversary and we look forward to our continued working relationship in the future.

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PROFILE - B & J Catalano Celebrating 55 Years

R Moore & Sons congratulate B & J Catalano on their 55th Anniversary and are honoured to have supported their outstanding success over many decades.

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that kills you, it’s the stress.”

There are many workers who have made their careers at B & J Catalano.

Take Chris “Jacko” Hogan, who has spent more than 40 years with the company.

“My family lives in Brunswick and I have worked here since the day I left school. I know Catalano’s. Being a local there was no reason to go anywhere else.”

He looks after the earthmoving side of the workshop. “I still get my hands dirty. I don’t need a fancy title. I am still hands on. We don’t work that way here (desk-bound).

“They are great people we work with and some are really knowledgeable men. Local people have done their time here. We’re Brunswick boys. It’s a good crew of blokes here who are smart and help each other out.”

Jacko is based in the rebuild and maintenance workshop that employs about 25 fitters and boilermakers.

Some specialise in earthmoving equipment and others in trucks.

“We service, maintain and rebuild all of our own gear and have an inventory

Kelly Fisher- South West Operations Administrator and Melissa Britz - Business Analyst

Onsite servicing.

Thinking beyond the tyre.

The reputation of Bridgestone Earthmover Tyres is built on more than the supply of high quality off-the-road tyres. By working with our customers, we help to maximise tyre life and optimise equipment availability.

Our tyres are backed by comprehensive support products and services, including TOPY wheels, “I grew up ontrusted a dairy farm and I’m of components on hand to assist in rim repairs, tyre repairs and advice that used to working hard.

I’ve met a lot of reduced downtime of the fleet.” can improve operating safety and save you different people and seen the state of Shaun Treasure is a “Technical money. Think outside the tyre. Discover the full WA while working for the company.” Of Adviser” and looks after maintenance range products and “You services the Catalanos, he says: look at: after on remote sites. With just 23 yearsofofBridgestone them and they look after you.” service, he calls Catalano home and www.bsem.com.au What is it about the Catalano Yellow? wouldn’t think of doing anything else.

Congratulates B&J Catalano on your 55th Anniversary

Congratulates B&J Catalano on your 55th Anniversary

www.bsem.com.au

JULY 2017 | WATM

27

PROFILE - B & J Catalano Celebrating 55 Years

“People see us on the road every day,” Clem says. “Our trucks look sleek and slim. We don’t advertise as our trucks do that. It’s a good colour and stands out. And Catalano Yellow is easy to clean.”

Catalano has a full-time painter employed to keep the equipment gleaming and promoting the family name.

The truck of choice is Volvo while there are some Mack bonnet trucks

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WATM | JULY 2017

and a few Kenworths.

“Volvo has revolutionised the industry. Their trucks are really good,” says Stephen. ”Truck Centre looks after us. They’re No 1.”

The trailers come from Boomerang Engineering predominantly with some from Bruce Rock Engineering and GLT. Low loaders come from Drake in Queensland.

“Boomerang is a quality product

Above (l-r) Elisa Green - Apprentice HD Mechanic and Ricky Walker - HD Mechanic Below Julie Rossiter- South West Operations Scheduler

while we are trialling others with a low tare weight.”

Bill says: “There is a lot more electrical components being installed to meet emission standards, which can be testing at times. There is new technology, which is still to be refined.

One plus from the industry downturn is that customer service has picked up with parts availability turnaround becoming much quicker.”

Stephen Catalano champions females within the company. “The majority of the South-West is run by females. They help move our trucking division.”

One of those is Julie Rossiter, who is responsible for the high-level scheduling of all drivers and bulk haulage equipment across the SouthWest Operations — including, but not limited to, day-to-day customer deliveries of sand, gravel, limestone, along with rostering of ongoing and regular projects work for major clients. Julie liaises with clients

Truck Centre WA would like to congratulate B&J Catalano in celebrating their 55 year milestone in the trucking industry.

PROFILE - B & J Catalano Celebrating 55 Years

An Impressive portfolio of equipment B & J CATALANO has an impressive portfolio of equipment to resource work in the mining and bulk haulage industries with state-of-the-art earthmoving and materials processing equipment, complemented by an extensive fleet of trucks and tankers.

The company owns and operates a number of sand, gravel and limestone quarries within the SouthWest, Mid-West and metropolitan regions, supplying materials to key clients.

Customers and clients include large corporations, including the likes of the big players such as MMG, BGC and FMG, local and

State government departments, mining companies, builders and contractors.

With a fully equipped mining and civil contracting division, B & J Catalano can undertake extensive earthmoving, civil contracting, mining and crushing contracts and can manage any project from start to finish, including bulk earthworks, material supply and transport.

B & J Catalano operates a port services division, providing material-handling services to various companies and major port operations. The company is responsible for bulk haulage services, including the loading

www.frontlinesigns.com.au Congratulations B & J Catalano on your 55th Anniversary

and unloading of material and equipment as well as personnel hire across the State.

Clem Catalano, “who likes his Macks”, says: “We have our own pits and extraction licences and mobile crushing equipment. We make our own limestone and grave, all supported by our transport division.”

The contracting division undertakes small-to-medium civil contracting jobs for rural dam construction, road construction and/ or other earthworks contracts. The company has a lengthy and solid relationship with Main Roads WA and Fulton Hogan, providing support with equipment and plant hire

West Australian fabrication at its best For over 20 years, BVA Metal Fabrications has been offering a diversified range of fabrication for the industrial service industry and general community.

Our machinery is up to date and regularly serviced to prevent delays in manufacture. Our Tradesmen are fully qualified and we have an extensive Apprentice training program.

Our aim is to provide our clientele with a good product and our in house quality control check system eliminates sending products out that are incorrect and may not be up to our professional standards.

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WATM | JULY 2017

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regarding rostering of dangerous goods deliveries across Western Australia, as well as the loading and unloading of shipments from various port locations.

Another is Kelly Fisher, who is responsible for the high-level management of Main Roads WA permits to ensure movement of equipment is completed in accordance to legislation.

She ensures all administration duties including, but not limited to, entry of driver documentation, collation of timesheets, invoices, etc.

These are collected and actioned in a prompt manner, to ensure efficient and productive running of the South-West Operations Division.

Brett Harnett, the acting SouthWest operations manager who recently took over from a female (through resignation), has been with the company for more than 15 years, starting as a supervisor within the earthmoving division. For the past couple of years, Brett has been overseeing, training and supervising the

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PROFILE - B & J Catalano Celebrating 55 Years

The 10-year club operational team within the SouthWest division, working very closely with the recently departed SouthWest manager.

He is integral in the development and maintenance of client relationships and covers areas from as far south as Walpole and north as Perth. , Clem’s son, Brett Catalano, has completed a mechanical apprenticeship and is currently working with other divisions, learning the different aspects of the company. For the last two months, he has been working alongside Brad Carbone, a heavy haulage operator, who has racked up 31 years with the company. Brad is a respected figure throughout Catalano’s and is primarily responsible for the float movements of all plant and equipment. His brother Kim Carbone has also been working for the company for the past 30 years, a key dozer operator in the earthmoving division.

A sense of loyalty is felt throughout the team with years of service to the company.

There are 40 operational employees with more than 10 years’ experience, including 20 truck drivers.

Of the drivers, George Wilkes has been around 37 years, Craig Reimers and Dave Pitt (11 years) and Tom Bumann (10). They are responsible for the dangerous goods cartage throughout the South-West.

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WATM | JULY 2017

The 10 years’ service-plus club includes employees across all levels of the company – plant operators, truck drivers, maintenance team and executive employees: OPERATION EMPLOYEES George Wilkes............................................................ 37 Trevor Walker.............................................................. 36 Ross Madaffari.......................................................... 33 Brad Carbone................................................................ 31 Kim Carbone................................................................... 30 Rob McCormick........................................................ 29 Vince Madaffari....................................................... 26 Ivan Craigie........................................................................ 25 Joe Madaffari............................................................... 25 Shaun Treasure........................................................ 24 Justin Peacock........................................................... 22 Sue Hutchinson........................................................ 21 Todd Renfree................................................................. 20 Brian Cousins................................................................ 19 Steve Raymer.............................................................. 18 Peter Noonan............................................................... 17 Barry Davis........................................................................ 16 Ricky Walker.................................................................. 16 Michael Bishop.......................................................... 16 Tony Ward.......................................................................... 15 Anthony Greaves.................................................. 15 Alan Bywaters............................................................ 15 Mark Donovan............................................................ 15 Gary Clarke........................................................................ 15 Noel Batten...................................................................... 15 Jamie Smith.................................................................... 14 Denis Carmody.......................................................... 14

Paul Haworth................................................................ 14 Joe Carbone..................................................................... 14 David Pitt.............................................................................. 12 Andrew Shinnick.................................................... 11 Gino Catalano.............................................................. 11 Craig Reimers............................................................... 11 Ben Kirkpatrick.......................................................... 10 Matthew Rose........................................................... 10 Royce Stacey................................................................ 10 Josh Hay................................................................................. 10 Brett Catalano............................................................ 10 Mark Madaffari......................................................... 10 Tom Bumann................................................................. 10 EXECUTIVE EMPLOYEES Chris Hogan..................................................................... 41 Richard Panizza........................................................ 35 Chris Archer.................................................................... 29 Laurie Murfit.................................................................. 17 Brett Harnett................................................................ 16 Max Whiteaker......................................................... 16 Mark Kingston............................................................ 16 George Wilson........................................................... 14 Wayne Fenn.................................................................... 14 Melissa Britza.............................................................. 12 Sean Hansen.................................................................. 11 Stephan Cooper....................................................... 11

South West Owned and Grown

T

he staff and management of Ausquip Industries would like to congratulate B&J Catalano on their 55th Anniversary. As another family owned, locally grown, South West based business, we respect and value their continued clientele and the stability a business of their size brings to families of the greater area.

For more than 25 years, Ausquip Industries have provided Catalano’s with a variety of design and construction services as well as repairs to all types of semi trailers, low loaders and other heavy transport equipment from our fully equipped workshop at 19 Halifax Drive in Bunbury. Our service includes suspension overhauls, brake overhauls, road train fit-ups, trailer extensions, hoist and tipper repairs, spare parts, scale system & tyre inflation system installations and the design and manufacture of new transportation equipment.

As members of the Motor Trade Association of Western Australia, we design our equipment within the guidelines and performance standards for the safe carriage of loads on all modes and styles of transportation vehicles. Our commitment to heavy haulage and customer demands has inspired the design and manufacture of our new on board rocker pin load cell weigh scale system suitable for mechanical

spring suspensions on trailers, both new and existing and aligns itself with the other forms of weigh scale systems that we use with road transport equipment.

Our ongoing research and development has seen the transition from the standard load bar system as commonly found on spring trailers to the development of our patented rocker pin load cell system that requires only 4 load cells. This system can be retrofitted to existing trailers or incorporated in the manufacture of new trailers in a cost effective manner.

Research and development has been underway for approximately two years with the rocker pin load cell system and has been linked to the realisation that our customers, road transport operators large and small, with new or existing equipment can maximise their output by being AMMS compliant. It is because of the valued support of customers like B&J Catalano that world leading innovations like this can be grown and owned in the South West.

For more information please contact Barry Dekker on 08 9780 1499 or visit our website www.ausquipindustries.com.au

JULY 2017 | WATM

33

PROFILE - B & J Catalano Celebrating 55 Years

Some of the B & J Catalano fleet including the first two Diamond T (1948 and 1951) trucks

YOUR SPECIALIST PARTNER IN EARTHMOVING / TRUCKING BEARINGS AND ASSOCIATED PRODUCTS Phil Bruce and staff at Bunbury Bearings would like to congratulate B & J Catalano on their achievement of 55 years in business. Its been a pleasure to have been partnered with you during this time and we wish you all the success for the years to come.

Bunbury Bearings is part of a 100% Australian owned National Bearing & Associated Products company, with or over 40 years of service. With an extensive range of high quality products and high stock holding levels we are best placed to service our customers needs.

PRODUCT RANGE Specialty Products Bearings BelRay Lubricants • Ball & Roller Bearings • • Sealing Products • Split Roller Bearings • Ringfeder Rolling Elements • Linear Motion • Fitting & Equipment Hire • Bearing Housings Power Transmission • Industrial Motors & Gearboxes • Belts & Pulleys EXCELLENCE • Chains & Sprockets you can rely on • Couplings & Clutches Contact: 08 9721 3522 sales@bunburybearings.com.au www.statewidebearings.com.au

34

WATM | JULY 2017

SALES AND SERVICE CENTRE Bunbury Trucks is the South West’s newest and largest multi-franchise truck dealership.

We stock new Hino, Mercedes Benz, Freightliner and Fuso trucks as well as a large range of used trucks. We’re now an authorized Service and Parts dealer for Hino, Mercedes, Freightliner and Fuso.

“Bunbury Trucks congratulate B&J Catalano on 55 Years”

YOUR ONE-STOP-SHOP IN THE SOUTH WEST

(08) 9725 6880 1 Olive Ct, Bunbury WA 6230

www.bunburytrucks.com.au

Born and bred in Brunswick Junction are Catalano stalwarts Joe Madaffari (24 years’ service), Chris Hogan (40) and Shaun Treasure (23).

Rob McCormick has tallied 28 years, Barry has 16 years under his belt; Paul Haworth has 11 and Royce Stacey 10 – all responsible for acid delivery to remote sites within the Mid-West.

What about the future generation of Catalano?

Clem’s son Brett becomes a third generation worker in the company as does Stephen’s son, Thomas.

They will surely carry the banner for B & J Catalano long after Bill has finally decided to step out of the driver’s seat, which isn’t any time soon. ■

www.catalano.com.au

STATEWIDE SERVICE 24 Hours - 7 Days

1800 653 54 4

Tilt Trays up to 11 tonne • •

Breakdowns, Accidents, Emergency towing Machinery and all types of Ag equipment

Heavy Recovery Specialists • •

Trucks of all makes and configurations.

Accidents, Breakdowns, Winch jobs, Oversize Load Pulls

Super Tilts & Low Loaders • •

Machinery & Plant up to 33 tonne Transportables, containers, tanks

Proud suppliers to B & J Catalano for over 20 years. Congratulations on your 55th Anniversary milestone Over

30 years

Approved Emergency Dangerous Goods Responder No: AER001040 JULY 2017 | WATM

Head Office & Perth Depot: 6 Gallant Court, Midvale • Regional Depots: Bunbury, Geraldton, Merredin, Newman, Port Hedland

Experience

35

NEWS

A New Lord Street T

he State Government will construct a new dualcarriageway road parallel to the existing Lord Street to ease congestion in Perth's northeastern suburbs.

In one of the first steps towards building the MorleyEllenbrook Line as part of METRONET, the new road corridor will complement the future train line to Ellenbrook.

New Lord Street will generally run parallel to the existing Lord Street, which will be retained as a local road to service Ellenbrook and the rapidly growing suburbs of Dayton, Whiteman and Brabham.

The redistribution of traffic to

THE REDISTRIBUTION OF TRAFFIC TO NEW LORD STREET IS EXPECTED TO SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE CONGESTION ON THE EXISTING LORD STREET - CURRENTLY USED BY ABOUT 14,000 VEHICLES A DAY New Lord Street is expected to significantly reduce congestion on the existing Lord Street currently used by about 14,000 vehicles a day.

Work on the project will begin shortly and is expected to cost $57 million and is due to be completed by mid-2018.

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti says, "New Lord Street will address one of the major bottlenecks on our road network - the southbound approach to the Marshall Road roundabout, where queues during the morning peak can extend to 2.5 kilometres. ■

36

WATM | JULY 2017

Random audits on employee superannuation payments

T

he Inspector-General of Taxation Ali Nozoori says more should be done to chase SMEs that fail to pay their employees’ superannuation, including through 'random audits' of businesses by the tax office.

Mr Nozoori's review into the ATO’s compliance activities on employer obligations was released to the public and revealed 11 recommendations to 'ease the compliance burden particularly for small businesses'.

These include reviewing the tools already available to employers for working out when a staff member should be classed as an employee or contractor. Nozoori also called on the tax office to ensure super entitlements are paid promptly to staff members through measures that include 'random audits, to curtail the propagation of non-compliance'.

While Nozoori acknowledges that random audits could expose compliant employers to 'unnecessary compliance costs', he says the ATO could reimburse employers who are found to be doing the right thing.

“Furthermore, such costs and inconveniences should be weighed against the potential disadvantage that the very same compliant employers face if their competitors do not pay SG and remain undetected,” he said in the report.

“It should be noted that, in the long term, random audits may also lead to better targeting of non-compliant taxpayers.”

The issue of unpaid superannuation has been in the spotlight over the past year, with a 2016 report from Industry Super Australia and Cbus estimating unpaid super in 2013-14 reached $3.7 billion.

However, in response to the report, the tax office says it disagrees with the recommendation for random audits.

“Random audits are an untargeted approach that imposes unnecessary costs and time burdens on compliant taxpayers. Investment in random

audits would be at the expense of more effective and beneficial approaches,” the ATO said.

Meanwhile, small business groups and accountants say there remains confusion in the SME community about when business owners are required to pay employees super, and when individuals should be classed as contractors or ongoing staff members.

Nozoori’s report agrees more can be done to help small businesses decide when a staff member should be classed as a contractor and when they are an employee.

The report says the costs associated with seeking professional advice in this area can be 'prohibitive', and mis-classification of workers can cause big problems down the line because 'where workers are misclassified, intentionally or otherwise, the ATO may after many years, apply retrospective changes to those relationships resulting in significant unplanned liabilities for businesses which may affect their ongoing viability'.

The report also considers the effectiveness of the tax office’s “Employee/Contractor Decision Tool”, which helps businesses decide how to class workers. Nozoori noted stakeholders called the tool “overly simplistic”.

Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Kate Carnell says businesses who fail to pay workers super have been in the firing line for some time, and SMEs should expect spot audits to happen.

“It’s a really important message to small businesses to make sure they’re paying on time. To start with, it’s not fair to employees, it’s their money,” Carnell says.

Reminding businesses of the importance of treating their employees “fairly”, Carnell says SMEs need to know they will be facing “high” penalties if they end up getting caught out. ■

OVER TO YOU by Stephen Marley, President LRTAWA

Let’s Hear Both Sides of the Cyclist Safety Debate in WA

T

he recent announcement by the Minister for Road Safety that WA would trial cyclist passing rules for two years has brought the vexed issue of how cyclists can share the road safely with motorists, into the public debate once more, along with a mix of logic and emotion.

It goes without saying that we all share a responsibility for road safety.

Whilst we in the transport business sometimes see sub-standard behaviour from those behind the steering wheel, we know only too well that those behind the handlebars are equally as capable of behaviour that puts their safety at risk, notwithstanding their comparative vulnerability on the road.

The aggression towards cyclists may be lessened if it was obvious that cyclists understood the risks and difficulties they sometimes create on our roads. The debate however seems to focus on the bad behaviour of motorists.

Whilst the LRTAWA will support this trial we are concerned that it will be difficult to accurately assess its impact and therefore is it merely part of a transition to gain acceptance for the ultimate outcome of cyclist passing laws. The QLD Government ended a similar trial last year and announced the one metre rule would remain in place. The analysis of that trial was mostly observational i.e researchers observed if motorists were leaving the required distance or not, and cyclists, drivers and police were interviewed about their impressions.

As far as I know there was no reliable comparative pre-trial data. Police admit the law is difficult to enforce and there is research indicating that drivers have trouble judging lateral distance but the laws went ahead anyway. The success of these trials is hailed because

they appear to change behaviour.

Legislation is a blunt behavioural change instrument and it shouldn’t be the only tool in the toolbox, nor should we introduce laws we know are hard to enforce as that leads to a poor attitude to laws in general. Furthermore, is distance between driver and cyclist the only factor that needs to be considered.

The answer to that is ‘probably not’, so why fixate on this as the solution?

The LRTAWA has long advocated for common sense regarding some of the routes cyclists are permitted to ride on. A frequent example is Canning Road in the Shires of Kalamunda and Armadale. Canning Road is a busy heavy vehicle route and it is often used by cyclists, particularly cycling groups who ride two abreast, sometimes more when they are overtaking one another.

Cyclists are permitted to ride two abreast as long as they are no more than 1.5 metres apart which means an even greater space is required for a motorist to avoid them. A heavy vehicle driver has very few options when rounding a blind corner and coming across a cyclist riding single file or two abreast. It is difficult and unsafe to stop suddenly and possibly worse to veer onto the other side of the road to avoid the cyclist(s). It would be far safer for everyone if they were not on that stretch of road just as they are not permitted on freeways.

We have approached cycling groups suggesting they seek an alternative for their members without success and we have lobbied Main Roads and the Shires to increase the shoulders.

Main Roads refer us to the Shires

A HEAVY VEHICLE DRIVER HAS VERY FEW OPTIONS WHEN ROUNDING A BLIND CORNER AND COMING ACROSS A CYCLIST

because it is a local road. The Shires are sympathetic but say it is not one of their funding priorities and in any event there would be problems with environmental approvals if the road reserve was encroached to improve the road shoulder.

As with so many of the persistent issues our industry deals with, it is hard to pin anyone down who is prepared to confront the issue and take responsibility so here are a few suggestions for things we could consider in WA to make the roads safer for cyclists and motorists if we are really serious: • Restrict cyclists from certain heavy vehicle routes; • Prevent cyclists riding two abreast; • Ensure slow moving vehicles yield to faster moving vehicles. If the cyclist is slower at the time then he/she must yield; • An education campaign is funded which is aimed at both cyclist and driver behaviour; • Increase the network of cycle paths – the Netherlands which is often quoted as the benchmark for cyclist acceptance has more than 30,000km of bike routes in an area that is 186 times smaller than Australia and with six million fewer people than Australia.

New rules must be carefully thought out and genuinely address the problem they are intended to help.

The transport industry should ensure it makes a constructive contribution to this important debate – the safety of all road users depends on it. ■ JULY 2017 | WATM

37

OVER TO YOU Â

LIGHTS ON THE HILL 2017

T

he HCVC and a couple of thousand other enthusiasts made their way to the annual 'Lights on the Hill' just south of Brunswick Junction. Tracmach put a great day on with plenty of trucks, tractors, stationary engines, horses and a vintage machinery auction. This year featured earthmoving and this saw plenty of action from old crawlers, tractors, ploughs and graders all working on the side of the hill well into the evening.

Studebaker prime mover and trailer loaded up with a David Brown grader and Cat crawler after a days work

(left & below) B & J Catalano’s fleet of working classics back to the old Diamond Ts

38

WATM | JULY 2017

Rod and Pauline Boyd’s Fiat and Kevin Lockyer’s International

THE VINTAGE AUCTION T

he vintage machinery auction drew a big part of the crowd for two hours while auctioneer Tiny Holly sold off well over 100 lots from spare parts to fully restored tractors and cars. A good fund raiser that was well supported by both vendors and buyers.

A few highlights included enamel signs that made up to $3,600 good kerosene boxes about $100 each, an unrestored fuel bowser $3,500 Moline tractor $11,000 a well kept binder for $1000 and a screw bag chaff cutter made $800. The Inter KB3 made $2,700 and hopefully will be brought back to life.

JULY 2017 | WATM

39

HISTORY

The History of the West Australian Road Transport Industry

1945

By Russell McKinnon

W

ith the end of the war marked the pending demise of the tram in Perth with competing passenger vehicles taking over.

When hostilities ended, WA Railways was probably at its lowest ebb, with locomotives and rolling stock used continuously for the transport of men and materials with little maintenance. Road transport recovered much quicker with the former Army and Air Force trucks coming on to the civilian market and the thousands of demobilised servicemen who liked the idea of a driving career.

The immediate post-war period appears to have seen the birth of the first triple-bottom stock trains, which provided a model for their modern counterparts. Among the earliest was an AEC six-wheeler hauling two trailers, which was used by brothers Bill and Harry Butcher to shift sheep 300 miles between Milgun Station, near Meekatharra, and another of their properties at Mingenew. It could carry 400 sheep and had an overall length of 35 yards.

From The West Australian of October 24, 1945: “ROAD TRANSPORT. COMPANIES' PROBLEMS. Nationalisation and Fares. The annual conference of the Australian Road Transport Federation was held in Brisbane recently and was attended by delegates from all States of the Commonwealth. On his return to Perth on Monday after attending the conference, the secretary of the WA Omnibus Proprietors' Association (Mr H K Watson) said that two important resolutions, which would be followed up by the federation, related to nationalization and price fixing. These were:- Nationalisation. (a) That this conference unanimously 40

WATM | JULY 2017

affirms its faith in the progressive future of road passenger services in Australia under the initiative of private ownership and management working in the closest possible cooperation with the appropriate State and Federal authorities; (b) that in the event of any privately-owned service being taken over by the authorities or eliminated by them (for reasons other than the improper conduct of the service by the licensee) such taking over should be according to the British spirit of fair dealing, and that there should accordingly be payment of reasonable valuation for the undertaking and fair and adequate compensation for goodwill, with the right of appeal to a court or board of arbitration in the event of any disagreement between the parties on the amount of such valuation or compensation. Fares and PriceFixing. -That inasmuch as the fares of privately owned road passenger services have always been and still are fixed and carefully regulated by the appropriate transport control boards in the respective States, and inasmuch as such boards are the most convenient and the most competent authority to deal with such matters, such matters should be expressly excluded from the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth Prices Department, thereby avoiding unnecessary and irksome duplication of control of fares.

In respect to the resolution concerning price-fixing, Mr Watson said that when the State Parliaments brought down legislation enabling the continuance of Commonwealth control of price fixing, a strenuous endeavour would be made in each State to ensure that control of fares of local road passenger services would be retained by the States and would not be transferred to the Commonwealth. Concerning

nationalisation, Mr Watson said his Association hoped that it would, at an early date, have the opportunity of elaborating its case before the Government committee, which is at present considering the future of metropolitan passenger transport in Western Australia.”

From The West Australian of November 3: “ROAD TRANSPORT. POST-WAR REGULATION. Victorian Labour's Proposals. The secretary of the Omnibus Proprietors' Association (Mr H K Watson) yesterday discussed the proposals of the Victorian Labour Party in respect to road transport as declared in the policy speech of the Leader of the Victorian Labour Party (Mr Cain) on October 18. ‘In that policy speech,’ said Mr Watson, ‘Mr Cain said that Labour proposed to review the transport Regulation Act to provide for an increase in the tenure of existing licences. This review will also cover: (a) Standards of vehicles and safety provisions; (b) the desirability of raising the speed limit of 25 miles an hour prescribed by the Motor Car Act, 1928, thus facilitating country transport; (c) the general development and co-ordination of all phases of the transport industry, both passenger and goods in the post-war period; (d) adjustment of licence fees; and (e) the provision of minimum and maximum rates for the carriage of goods on all vehicles. These proposals,’ said Mr Watson, ‘are closely analogous to the representations made by his association to the West Australian Government some months ago. In today's issue of The West Australian,’ concluded Mr Watson, ‘I notice Mr Chifley paid tribute to the 'realistic thinking' of Mr Cain. Believing that

the Commonwealth Transport Board shortly after Japan's entry into the war. The necessity arose for the coordination of road transport at that time to meet the extra demands, which at any moment might be placed upon the community from attack by air or by invasion. It was not generally known that a plan was prepared whereby hundreds of road transport vehicles would be placed in immediate operation should any evacuation of the coastal areas become necessary or should war materials be required at certain points. A further reason

in their collaboration with Departmental officers, who wanted to ensure that essential traffic was given priority, and that wasteful and uneconomic cartage was eliminated, to ensure that manpower, equipment, maintenance facilities and automotive supplies would be conserved. Heavy wartime demands were thus met in an efficient and organised manner. It is felt that the community service provided in this way should be acknowledged, and I think it can be said that the achievements of road transport in the heavy cartage sphere, particularly in those ports

members of the Omnibus Proprietors' Association provide services for the travelling public at fares which are more economical than in any other State of the Commonwealth and manage to show a reasonable profit on their operations after paying well over £30,000 per annum to the State Government by way of Transport Board licences and traffic licences.

Since the WA Government receives this amount each year without any risk at all, it is to be hoped that some realistic thinking will be exercised by the proper authorities in formulating proposals for the future of road passenger transport in this State.’"

for the formation of the Pool was to reduce wasteful running of trucks as the shortage of manpower, fuel, spare parts and equipment was becoming a serious problem. It became necessary to obtain the maximum service from the trucks available and all non-essential service was reduced to a minimum. The expense of the operation of the Pool was financed by the members but the Pool was under the authority of the Dept of Emergency Road Transport. During the last 12 months trucks of the Pool handled over 23,000 tons of goods as directed by the Pool office. As the need for the organisation no longer exists it is likely a dissolution of the pool will be made this month. Long Pressure Periods. The chairman (Mr C Joyce) has received a letter from the Commonwealth Minister for Transport (Mr E J Ward) in which appears the following: ‘It is a great pleasure now to recall the willingness and co-operation of the representatives of the industry

in which exceptional pressure was maintained right to the end of the war period, have been outstanding.

On behalf of the Government I freely acknowledge the fact, which must always stand to the credit of management and employees, in this industry, that whilst all were frequently under heavy pressure for long periods, working exceptional hours, under all of the disabilities of war conditions, at no time was there any interruption of this nationally important work. I feel, therefore, that the time is appropriate to ask you to convey to your members and to all the personnel which (sic) have been engaged in wartime operations in the Perth War Road Transport Pool the appreciation of the Government and of myself of the value of the work they have performed during the national crisis.’”

By the end of 1945, a record expansion of school bus contractors boosted numbers to 97, carrying 2500 children on daily journeys ■

Image credit: Lost Perth

the capacity for realistic thinking in our own Premier, Mr Wise is certainly not less than that of Mr Cain, I respectfully venture to commend to the consideration of our State Government, Victorian Labour's proposals in respect of post-war road transport. The recently released report of the Government-owned bus and tramway services in New South Wales disclosed a loss of £95,000 for the year ended June 30, 1945. In Victoria the Government-owned services showed a loss of about the same magnitude. On the other hand, in Western Australia

From The West Australian of November 7: “HEAVY TRANSPORT. WAR POOL'S WORK. Ministerial Appreciation. A wartime organisation which has received little publicity is the Perth War Road Transport Pool, which was formed by carriers in the metropolitan area, at the request of

JULY 2017 | WATM

41

42

WATM | JULY 2017

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$

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103609

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WRITTEN DOWN TO

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