Over to you WESTERN ROADS FEDERATION by Cam Dumesny, CEO
DRIVER TRAINING PROGRAM
T
he WA Government’s announcement of $6.1 million for a driver training program was the culmination of nearly six months work by the WA Transport industry. Although Western Roads Federation led the campaign, we worked closely with the Livestock and Rural Transporters Association and the TWU. The aim is to train 1,000 HR and MC drivers into the WA industry. The course has been developed by the industry and brings together the licensing and qualifications (load restraint etc.) into one program BUT importantly, the program focuses heavily on giving students mentoring by experienced drivers, from on-road coaching, to basic maintenance, reversing and the myriad of other things a skilled truck driver needs to know or be able to do. The program will be rolled out around the state in different regional locations, the details of which are being worked through. With a booming mining and resources sector, record spend on road infrastructure projects and increasing demand from the online delivery market the demand for skilled truck drivers and operations staff has been never been higher.
Next Objective This leads to the next training objective and that is addressing the skills shortage for mechanics and operations staff. Western Roads Federation has already developed a plan for this and will be progressing that in due course.
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WATM • March 2021
WHAT ELSE COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?
Despite all these challenges, the more than 30,000 people in wa’s transport and logistics industry were able to adapt and find solutions Not even Shakespeare; the world’s most celebrated dramatist could have conceived a plot as complex as that which faced WA’s transport and logistics industry during the first week of February. Starting on Sunday 31st January with panic buying that stripped many supermarkets in the Perth and SW Regions. As many of you are aware a substantial percent of WA’s grocery items come from the East. BUT re-supplying from the east was challenged by the: • On-going coastal shipping disruption that had meant the east-west freight trains were already running at capacity; and • Plus the substantially reduced air freight capacity due to the loss of most of our domestic air services. AND just to make it more interesting, the Perth Hills bushfires cut the east-west rail services for nearly a week. And just in case the industry didn’t feel it was being challenged enough, we had: • The Perth-Peel and South West regions go into lock down, creating some degree
of confusion as to what the rules for freight movement actually were and • A tropical low decided to dump on the NW Highway at Carnarvon severing the highway in multiple places. Despite all these challenges, the more than 30,000 people in WA’s transport and logistics industry were able to adapt and find solutions. It truly is a testament to the professionalism and pragmatism that are the trademarks of our industry’s people, whether in road, rail, air, or sea transport. With only minor disruptions supermarkets were re-stocked; businesses, manufacturers and mines continued to be supplied and outputs taken to markets or ports, online shopping delivery sustained, and waste collected plus so much more. A Livestock and Rural Transport WA committee member even found the time to organise a hay run to supply Bushfire impacted farmers. So, while the whole State was preoccupied, WA's transport and logistics operators were facing many simultaneous challenges from all angles. The fact that WA still operated smoothly during this time is a true testament to our transport and logistics industry professionals - WA’s quiet achievers."
COLLABORATION DRIVES $20 MILLION INVESTMENT INTO INDUSTRY The announcement by the WA Government of the $6.1 million for Driver Training and the $14 million for rest areas is proof that when the industry works together we can get results. The TWU, the Livestock and Rural Transporters Association WA and ourselves have worked together to push for these outcomes. We don’t always have to agree with each other, but when we have common cause we are far more effective in getting results for the industry when we work together.
