Fair Go for Owner Drivers

from WA TRANSPORT MAGAZINE - MARCH 2021 EDITION

WA Transport History

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

TIME FOR A CHANGE

Welcome to a new year. At this time of each year it is good to reflect on the highs and lows of the previous year and hope that the New Year will be better. In the transport industry I do not believe that there were many highs in the previous year that we would want to remember. If you survived the year then that is probably a good outcome.

Perhaps one of my highlights was meeting up with Senator Glen Sterle as I put my thoughts to him as he conducted a Senate Inquiry into the problems within the transport industry.

Several other people associated with the transport industry also made submissions so hopefully our efforts will bring about a better future for truck drivers. At least many submissions were made by transport operators who know first-hand our problems after spending years of time on the road.

Hopefully the Government will act on these issues and introduce the necessary changes.

Over the past years I have constantly written about problems and issues within the transport industry and the treatment of truck drivers from big greedy companies. I know that I am repeating myself but I really feel very strongly annoyed that truck drivers are out there working exceedingly hard under extreme conditions for very little reward.

The final insult is as truck drivers get to retiring age they have very little in the way of savings and superannuation and usually in poor health the future is bleak as they finish their working life.

The transport industry is full of problems and while Government and Transport Associations make token efforts to fix the issues no one listens to the truck driver. industry has problems because every day the supermarket shelves are full, the service stations always have fuel and any commodity we desire is available.

Truck drivers are ‘quiet achievers’ providing a necessary service to the community. Nobody wants to address the pressures that truck drivers have to put up with like the low rates of pay that forces us to work harder and faster for less.

Truck drivers are definitely at the ‘bottom’ of the supply chain yet we do most of the work.

The only other industry I can think of that work huge hours for very little return are our farmers.

You only have to go back to the disgraceful saga when farmers were paid a pittance for their milk by the large food chains. There seems to be a common thread here where hard working people are exploited and underpaid by multinational greedy corporations.

Maybe this year will be the year when someone will listen to the voice of the truck driver and solve our problems.

Full marks must go to the organisers of the Mack Muster held at the end of last year at Byford. A great event. The trucks on show were outstanding and they show how passionate our truck drivers are with such outstanding trucks.

The transport industry is full of problems and while Government and Transport Associations make token efforts to fix the issues no one listens to the truck driver

We do not want to drive long hours in a state of fatigue but the answer seems to be to try and keep us awake and alert for up to fourteen hours a day, for days on end. Very few other occupations require their workers to work such long hours.

Many people do not believe the