WA TRANSPORT MAGAZINE JULY 2021 EDITION

THE TRANSPORT AND MACHINERY MAGAZINE OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

WA

ISSN 2202-6193

100007516 July 2021 | price $6.95

TRANSPORT magazine

Page 12

WA’S CRITICAL NEED FOR INCREASED TRUCK SAFETY EDUCATION Four in five accidents involving cars and trucks in Australia are the fault of the car driver. Accident and serious injury data demonstrate that Australians are unaware of how to share the roads safely with trucks.

In an Australian first, Transafe WA will introduce INSTRUCKTA - a truck and customised semi-trailer which expands into a cutting-edge education space which will travel to schools and community events around the State engaging the general public with how to share the road with trucks

IN THIS ISSUE: End of demeaning slogans Mobile workforce – safety and compliance Industry legend – Steve Grahame Old trucks out WATM • July 2021

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All workers should be entitled to job security and a safe workplace

By Tim Dawson | Branch Secretary

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he Transport Workers Union had a huge win for the future of transport work recently, with the highly anticipated unfair dismissal case of delivery rider Diego Franco.

TWU Member Diego Franco was working as a delivery rider for multinational, Deliveroo when he was terminated for allegedly taking too long to deliver food orders.

Franco was dismissed by Deliveroo at the height of the pandemic in April last year after working for the company for three years.

The TWU helped Franco peruse his case in the Fair Work Commission and won, based on the control the company has over the worker, including, when work was done, how work was performed and who received the work. Suggesting the platform acted like an employer.

Unfair dismissal is a protection for employees, so the landmark ruling makes this case significant since previously rideshare drivers were classified as contractors.

Franco’s claim relied on the Commission recognising him as an employee rather than a contractor.

Previous rulings determined that gig economy riders and drivers do control their work as they decide when and where to make themselves available. However, in Franco’s case, the FWC recognised that delivery workers are controlled by the companies that they work for because to make money they need to work during mealtimes.

This ruling is crucial as it “unpicks the lies of the gig-economy.” Both Uber and Deliveroo have been using the mythology of flexibility and convenience to get away with eroding workers’ rights.

This decision is a huge win for Diego and his union, the TWU, who have worked tirelessly to compel gig economy employers

The Road Freight Industry Tribunal in Western Australia needs to have the Power to enforce late payments, unsustainable rates and unfair contract provisions

to honour their most basic obligations.

Insecure work is a national crisis but is most visible in the gig economy, where permanent, secure employment has been replaced with unreliable contractor arrangements which strip away the basic rights which all workers should be able to rely on.

This decision makes it clear; gig economy workers have the same rights as all workers. This is why it is important to belong to a union to ensure these rights.

Diego Franco was an employee and should be afford the same rights and protections employees are legally entitled to.

Translating this into the Traditional Transport Industry Even before smart phones were a way of life, the transport industry has been long

affected by various forms of insecure and precarious work and pressure from the top of the supply chain. And to a large extent the gig economy has been an extension of these pre-existing issues.

Many couriers who work for themselves and are paid piece rates can be just as risky as truck drivers who are put under unrealistic pressure to get the job done.

This will only get worse until there are changes to protect employees, owner drivers and the emerging gig economy of truck and logistics companies who will be fighting for work over an App. Companies quoting and being told this is your rate and long-term contracts for certain types of work will disappear.

Businesses will be promised flexibility but will have little ability to set their own prices, develop their own clientele, develop a brand, invest significantly in their ‘business’ or have any influence over the terms of their engagement or contract.

Transport workers and companies, employees and owner drivers need an independent umpire a tribunal that they can take their grievances too. The Road Freight Industry Tribunal in Western Australia needs to have the Power to enforce late payments, unsustainable rates and unfair contract provisions. As well as make sure that all commercial vehicles are covered under the Act that means any vehicle under 4.5 tonnes The Owner Drivers (Contracts and disputes) Act 2007 must be modernised to deal with contemporary and emerging issues and correct unintended gaps and deficiencies in its practical operation to achieve its original purpose of promoting a safe and sustainable transport industry.

It is time to stand up and fight for a sustainable transport industry.

WORK IN TRANSPORT? PROTECT YOURSELF! JOIN YOUR UNION

🌐🌐🌐 www.twuwa.org.au

🗨🗨🗨 www.facebook.com/twuwa

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📞📞📞 1800 657 477 ✉ info@twuwa.org.au

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Transport Workers Union - for the people who carry Australia

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Our Heavy Vehicle Helpdesk is available 7 days a week.

Talk to us about: Permits

Accreditation

OSOM movements

Route Assessments

Trafic Escort bookings

Compliance

The Heavy Vehicle Helpdesk is open from: 7am to 6.00pm Monday to Friday and 7am to 3.30pm Saturday, Sunday and WA public holidays.

Main Roads Heavy Vehicle Services 525 Great Eastern Highway REDCLIFFE 6104

Tel: 138 486 Fax: 9475 8455 Email: hvs@mainroads.wa.gov.au www.mainroads.wa.gov.au 1 WATM • July 2021

Focus

How To Stay Safe and Compliant With a Mobile Workforce

By Chris L’Ecluse, Transport Solutions Specialist at Teletrac Navman

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eeping staff safe is essential for managers and executives across all industries. When you’re in charge of managing a mobile workforce, with staff working in remote areas of Australia for days or even weeks at a time, ensuring the safety of all team members is easier said than done.

In Western Australia alone, twelve workers lost their lives on the job between 2018-19. Recent industrial manslaughter convictions of employers have made it clear that businesses need safety systems and risk management plans to protect their staff, or risk legal consequences in the case of an incident.

With the passing of the Work Health and Safety Act 2020 (WA), actioned through Legislative Assembly on 3rd November last year, vehicles and driver cabins are now legally considered part of the workplace.

This means that managers and operators need to be proactive in mitigating risks for their staff, or they potentially face serious charges. For businesses and body

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WATM • July 2021

corporates, the maximum fine that can be issued under these new rules is $10 million, and individuals found guilty of negligence can face a maximum fine of $5 million and up to 20 years’ imprisonment.

As Unions WA secretary, Owen Whittle, says, “If a negligent driver causing a fatal accident can be charged with manslaughter, so too should an employer that badly mismanages a dangerous workplace.” Greg Busson, CFMEU Mining and Energy WA Secretary, mirrors this sentiment, stating, “We need real disincentives like jail time for employers for risking workers’ safety... A slap on the wrist isn’t enough.”

WA is now aligned with New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, the Northern Territory and Tasmania by joining the harmonised work health and safety (WHS) regime, designed to provide a consistent set of safety laws for businesses in all states to follow. This provides a clear set of guidelines to build a comprehensive safety policy around, even if operating interstate.

Here’s what you can do to keep your staff safe and business out of legal trouble.

Automated Vehicle Maintenance In any workplace, it’s up to managers to ensure their facilities are in top condition for staff. In a mobile workforce, fleet operators take on the responsibility of keeping their vehicles safe and secure.

Maintaining the condition of your fleet via paper pre-trip checklists and manual maintenance scheduling creates potential hazards if paperwork is lost. It also means that new issues that arise are not always captured or flagged quickly with other staff, which opens yourself up for serious trouble.

By adopting a smart fleet management system, fleet managers can access engine and vehicle maintenance data in realtime. Back-office employees can create a comprehensive history of each asset and fully understand the state and condition of all vehicles without needing to physically inspect each individual truck or chase up previous paperwork from weeks before.

With digital pre-start checklists, maintenance staff know well ahead of time when things may need fixing or replacing.

Having this data delivered in real-time means your maintenance strategy will shift from reactive to proactive, so you can address potential faults instantly, rather than after the fact.

Team members can pull the vehicle off the road, do the necessary repairs to rectify the problem at hand and get it back on the road swiftly.

Smart, AI-enabled, fleet tracking systems will also save you hours chasing up vehicle conditions, previous schedule history or diagnosing faults, and ensures your operations don’t come to a grinding halt when a vehicle is unexpectedly out of action.

Road Safety Policies Part of keeping your drivers safe is creating a road safety policy, which is always available to everyone. When adopting a fleet management system into your operations, it’s essential that you update existing policies to align with use of the technology to protect drivers and other staff.

A physical policy document kept in a driver cabin, while ideal in theory, can be easily misplaced and needs to be updated manually. This makes it tricky for everyone across the fleet to access the updated paperwork, especially for those working in remote areas. Making the switch from paper-based policy documents to in-cabin devices means that drivers, contractors, and operators don’t have any excuse for not being able to view or access the road safety policy.

No matter where they are, everyone can access the same documents which can also be updated in real-time so there’s no lag in a driver or contractor receiving the latest safety protocols.

Ensure all staff members are regularly reminded of the guidelines and where they’re located. A weekly or fortnightly team meeting centred around driver safety is a fantastic way to ensure all staff are prompted regularly about your safety policies.

It’s also important that you encourage your team to share any confusion around the guidelines, as keeping these rules clear and top of mind will help to mitigate risk.

Connecting With Staff Communication around safety doesn’t just apply to policies and procedures. It’s also about talking to each employee and taking the time to understand any concerns they may have around driver safety.

It’s important that you look at the habits and behaviours of each driver, as some may

be more prone to risk taking compared to their teammates.

Telematics lets you understand each driver’s habits and the circumstances surrounding their behaviour. You can use these insights to create a safer workplace overall. For example, if you notice that several drivers in your fleet have issues with speeding, you can create a custom driver training program tailored to their needs. This can be paired with digital driver scorecards based on each person’s behaviours, which empower drivers to feel invested in their own progress and improve their score over time.

For many of your drivers, the uncertainty around reporting and compliance can be exhausting. Having to wade through permits and contract conditions is not only time-consuming but can lead to important details falling through the cracks. Digitising this process with incabin devices not only reduces paperwork but helps to reduce infringement penalties caused by the complexities of complying with customer requirements, which ultimately keep your staff safe on the road and ensure jobs are completed as efficiently

as possible.

EWDs take the stress out of monitoring, allowing drivers to get on with the job.

These in-cabin devices accurately record all working hours so you can stay informed of driver wellbeing and compliance. All fatigue-related data is available for admin staff to view in the back office via the fleet management system, so if a driver is due to take a break, the system automatically notifies the driver via their in-cabin device, alerting them to pull over and take some time to rest.

Last year, 182 Australian workers lost their lives in the workplace, with 25 casualties occurring within the transport, postal and warehousing sectors. With trucks and fleets legally considered part of the workplace, it’s up to managers and operators to do everything in their power to keep staff safe, or risk serious jail time.

By digitising your maintenance checklists, creating a comprehensive road safety policy and using smart fleet safety technology such as EWDs, you can mitigate potential risks and hazards, eliminate any uncertainty around reporting and keep your fleet safe all year round.

Recent industrial manslaughter convictions of employers have made it clear that businesses need safety systems and risk management plans to protect their staff, or risk legal consequences in the case of an incident

WATM • July 2021

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TRANSPORT

magazine

VOLUME 27 | NUMBER 6

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Angry Chicken Publishing Pty Ltd Telephone 0430 153 273 www.angrychicken.com.au ABN: 35 486 530 095

PUBLISHER / COMMISSIONING EDITOR Karen-Maree’ Kaye T: 0430 153 273 Email: karen@angrychicken.com.au WRITERS Karen-Maree' Kaye, Russell McKinnon CONTRIBUTORS Jan Cooper, Cam Dumesny, Carol Messenger, Ray Pratt ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES Angry Chicken Head Office T: 0430 153 273 E: karen@angrychicken.com.au DESIGN / PREPRESS Cally Browning | Bare Creative

W

ell winter has certainly set in right across Australia. Lots of rain and snow and record cold days – global warming?

In this edition we cover the exciting INSTRUCKTA truck which expands into a cutting edge education tool which Transafe WA will introduce to the public and schools in order to help people understand how to share the road safely with trucks.

On Page 2 we focus on how to keep your mobile workforce safe and compliant. In WA alone, twelve workers lost their lives on the job in one year and recent industrial manslaughter convictions of employers have made it

ACCOUNTS T: 0430 153 273 E: accounts@angrychicken.com.au

Karen

CONTENTS

PRINTER Daniels Printing Craftsmen SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscriptions available directly from the Publisher.

T: 0430 153 273 E: karen@angrychicken.com.au Australia: 1 year $76.45 (inc GST) 2 years $152.90 (inc GST)

clear that businesses need safety systems.

On Page 6 we look behind the upcoming introduction of a ban on demeaning slogans on vehicles and how this could affect the transport industry.

On Page 9, Main Roads Heavy Vehicle Services talk about their upcoming Industry Information/Awareness Sessions and state that they want to work with industry and listen to your concerns and ideas before making decisions that affect you.

As always, thank you to everyone who contributes supports and reads the magazine.

Best,

2............................................... How to stay safe and compliant with a mobile workforce 6............................................... The end of demeaning slogans on vehicles in WA onstruction underway to fix one of WA’s most dangerous 8............................................... C intersections

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

9............................................... HVS Industry Information / Awareness Sessions

Editorial Submissions: The Publisher welcomes

12............................................ WA’s critical need for increased truck safety education

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.

13............................................ Report reveals PBS vehicles involved in fewer major crashes 14............................................ Major boost for Western Australian renewable hydrogen 17............................................. 10,000 more interstate vehicles roll into Western Australia

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

18............................................ Can I pay my drivers a flat rate?

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.

19............................................ Time to sweat – crackdown on impaired drivers

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.

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WATM • July 2021

20.......................................... New fundraising record set for NTI’s truck restoration 21............................................ Hall of Fame – Steve Grahame

Every Month 7................................................ Questions to WA State Government 10............................................ Fair Go for Owner Drivers 16............................................ Birds Eye View 22.......................................... HCVC 24.......................................... WA Transport History

Endorsed by

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100007516 June 2021 | price $6.95

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REGIONAL ROADWORKS SIGNAGE REVIEW ONLINE SURVEY The Regional Roadworks Signage Review Reference They Group want you to share your experiences. could want to know the things that work well, what you be done better and for you to suggest what might do to improve the use of temporary roadwork roads signage on our Western Australian regional

IN THIS ISSUE: Steering towards better sleep New AMMS operating conditions Should international drivers get more training?

Driver distraction or suicide?

WATM • June 2021

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News

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The end of demeaning slogans on vehicles in WA

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loudly and being offended with anything that could be deemed against their political agenda we wonder where this will lead and ‘who’ decides what is offensive or not?

Many companies and operators name their trucks. Some of these names could be deemed as offensive to some and will this legislation open the gates for the transport

Should Western Australian truck operators who choose to name their trucks, or put personal signage and slogans on them, be concerned? if vehicles display offensive material.

Similar legislation has been introduced across other States including Queensland, Tasmania, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.

Since 2008, more than 70 complaints against Wicked Campers have been upheld

by Ad Standards Australia.

The Transport Minister's Office and Women's Interests Minister's Office have both received numerous letters asking for Wicked Campers and their offensive slogans to be banned.

Upon investigating the slogans on Wicked Campers vehicles, WA Transport Magazine can well understand ‘why’ anyone would be offended, however in the current climate of ‘the minority speaking WATM • July 2021

industry to be targeted?

Cabinet has approved the legislation to be drafted and this will be introduced to Parliament later this year.

Should Western Australian truck operators who choose to name their trucks, or put personal signage and slogans on them be concerned particularly in this day of ‘identity politics, cancel culture, and widespread accusations of racism?

What could be perfectly innocent such as the reference to a particular animal based on the engine brand could be perceived as offensive.

We will have to wait and see, however it is concerning that the actions of one company have affected a law that will affect everyone.

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he McGowan Government will introduce legislation to ban offensive, sexist and demeaning slogans from vehicles on Western Australian roads.

The proposed changes to the Road Traffic (Vehicles) Act 2012 will allow vehicle licences to be cancelled or refused

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ave you checked if your pilot or escort vehicle driver certification is still valid, especially if you are working interstate?

Pilots and escort drivers are required to maintain a valid license or certification, specified by your state or territory. If you are a pilot or escort driver working interstate, it’s also important you understand how your license or certification is mutually recognised.

While the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) does not regulate pilot and escort certification, the NHVR can issue an infringement notice to the driver of an oversize vehicle for not complying with the conditions of the permit, such as a certified pilot or escort.

The NHVR has released an updated information sheet, which gives you an overview of the current pilot and escort requirements for your jurisdiction. To download the information sheet visit www.nhvr.gov.au.

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Over to you QUESTIONS TO THE WA STATE GOVERNMENT

Thank you to our WA State Government for answering WA Transport Magazine reader’s questions. If you have a question that is related to the transport industry please email it to the publisher at: karen@angrychicken.com.au

Answer from Main Roads Spokesperson Main Roads updates the road restrictions when made aware of changes to the road network. Due to the number of roads approved for RAV access, it is not practical for Main Roads to continually check the roads, therefore there is a reliance on the Road Managers (i.e. local governments) to advise Main Roads when changes occur.

Main Roads welcomes information provided by the transport industry and will action the information accordingly.

Question Why does the RAV mapping tool have roads listed as ‘reduced speed on gravel when wet’ when the roads have been sealed/bitumised often many years ago. This is a general question. Also, I wonder how often Main Roads update the roads restrictions after upgrades, given that many roads have reduced speed limits but have long since been upgraded. Surely, a truck traveling well below the speed limit due to regulation is a hazard especially when it is safe to go a bit quicker.

Maybe only 10 or 20 km below limit instead of the sometimes 30 plus km below as per the RAV mapping tool limits

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For the best advice and friendly service contact us today. +61 8 9353 4411 ■ sales@knightbrakeandclutch.com.au knightbrakeandclutch.com.au

Question Why is the RAV mapping tool not mobile friendly and why is there no instructions on how to use it properly?

Answer from Main Roads Spokesperson Main Roads is currently working on a new RAV Mapping Tool platform.

Main Roads holds information sessions throughout WA and has a dedicated Heavy Vehicle Help Desk (131 486) that can assist with heavy vehicle related enquires, including instruction on how to use the RAV Mapping Tool.

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WATM • July 2021

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News

Construction underway to fix one of WA’s most dangerous intersections

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ajor works to improve safety and bust congestion at one of Perth's most dangerous intersections – the Leach Highway and Welshpool Road interchange are now underway.

Construction will be completed by the Leach Welshpool Alliance, a consortium made up of local contractors Georgiou Group Pty Ltd, BG&E Pty Ltd and Golder Associates Pty Ltd. The $136 million project is anticipated to create and support up to 600 jobs.

The interchange upgrade will improve the most dangerous and second most congested intersection in Western Australia, with 224 crashes recorded between 2015 and 2019, of which 204 were rear-end collisions.

The project will deliver a new gradeseparated intersection with Leach Highway bridging over Welshpool Road; an at grade roundabout at the intersection of Leach Highway and Welshpool Road; and an upgrade of the Leach Highway Bridge over rail south of the interchange.

The project will deliver a new grade-separated intersection with Leach Highway bridging over Welshpool Road; an at grade roundabout at the intersection of Leach Highway and Welshpool Road; and an upgrade of the Leach Highway Bridge over rail south of the interchange The design of the interchange will improve traffic flow and is expected to reduce peak travel times, while easing pressure on the local road network.

The project is jointly funded, with the Morrison Government and Western Australian Government each committing $68 million.

Federal Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts Paul Fletcher said, "This project will provide Perth drivers with a safer and more efficient east-west freight connection, particularly between Fremantle and the industrial areas of Kewdale and Welshpool.

"About 50,000 vehicles pass through 8

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Online heavy haulage freight marketplace

reelancer, the world’s largest freelancing and crowdsourcing marketplace by number of users and jobs posted has created Australia’s largest heavy haulage freight marketplace with a strategic acquisition announced to the ASX. Through its part-owned subsidiary Freightlancer has acquired Loadshift, a market leader which was responsible for 85.8 million kilometres of freight movement in CY2020.

Freightlancer and Loadshift have complementary services which assist truck drivers to increase efficiency by

this intersection every weekday, with the area servicing key commercial activities in local industrial areas, Perth Airport, Kewdale Freight Terminal and surrounding residential areas.

"This project is one of many critical infrastructure projects to receive funding from the Morrison Government as part of its record $110 billion, 10-year

connecting them in a digital marketplace to companies with heavy haulage needs.

The marketplace reduces downtime for drivers and delivers a cost-efficient option to businesses.

Road freight is the predominant mode of transport for urban, inter-urban, and regional freight, and it is a critical part of the supply chain for imports in Australia.

The Australian market was valued at more than US$75 billion in 2020 and is estimated to grow 4.5% over the period of 2021 to 2026 according to industry research. www.loadshift.com.au

infrastructure investment pipeline."

WA Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said, “The Leach Highway and Welshpool Road interchange is a well-known pinch point for commuters.

“Combined with our level crossing removals along the Armadale Line this will completely transform this transport corridor.”

Automated vehicles reform roadmap

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nfrastructure and transport ministers met on Friday 28 May and agreed to timelines for implementing a national safety framework for the commercial deployment of automated vehicles.

The goal is to have the regulatory framework for automated vehicles, including national legislation and a new in-service safety regulator, in place by 2026.

For more information from the Infrastructure and Transport Ministers’ Meeting, you can read the communique at www.infrastructure.gov.au/transport/

infrastructure-transport-ministers/ files/15th-infrastructure-and-transportministers-meeting-communique28-may-2021.pdf. The NTC has also published a policy paper at www.ntc. gov.au/sites/default/files/assets/files/ NTC-policy-paper-national-in-servicesafety-law-for-AVs.pdf which provides the outcomes from the most recent consultation on in-service safety. The recommendations have not yet been agreed by ministers but will form the basis for further work on the regulatory framework.

News Use of Road Train Assembly Areas (RTAAs)

HVS Industry Information / Awareness Sessions

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By Main Roads Heavy Vehicle Services spokesperson

ver the next six months, Main Roads Heavy Vehicle Services (HVS) will continue to provide Industry Workshops / Information Sessions across Western Australia so that regional transport operators have the opportunity to attend in their local area.

HVS recommenced these sessions in September 2020. Workshops held so far in the Wheatbelt, South West, Mid West and Metropolitan Regions have been very well received.

The objective of these sessions is to provide us with an opportunity to develop closer relationships with industry to ensure when new products are developed, or changes to processes and policies are being considered, they are done so with a better understanding of industry needs. It also allows updates on industry related information or upcoming projects to be shared.

The sessions take the form of an interactive workshop in which trending issues are discussed between small groups from across industry, and our subject matter experts. Topics include WA Heavy Vehicle Accreditation, Compliance, Permits, Access, and Department of Transport matters.

The focus of discussion is ‘What can we do together to make this work better?’

Participants are encouraged to raise concerns, issues and potential solutions.

Partly as a result of feedback from earlier

sessions, we developed and implemented our ‘Bigger Than You’ Campaign designed to educate drivers on how to safely share the road with heavy vehicles. This is an example of how we can work together to provide the best outcomes for transport operators across WA. Regional sessions will be held in the Kimberley and Pilbara during July and August. A Perth Metropolitan session will

Main Roads continues to receive complaints from the transport industry that some operators are leaving trucks, trailers and equipment parked in Road Train Assembly Areas (RTAAs) for extended periods of time. This is being experienced at various RTAAs State-wide but particularly at Abernethy Road, Forrestfield.

The issues relate to operators parking trailers in the designated oversize load path through the RTAA on Abernethy Road, or leaving trailers in the RTAA for extended periods.

RTAAs are not to be used as depots and excessive stays should be reported to HVS. Main Roads reminds operators as follows: • RTAAs are primarily for the breakdown and assembly of Restricted Access Vehicles (RAVs) that do not have the appropriate access to the network.

RTAAs are not to be used as transport yards or for the garaging of equipment.

Vehicles should not be left in RTAAs more than 24 hours.

• With regards to the Forrestfield RTAA, operators are reminded that companies with yards on Abernethy Road or in close proximity to it should not be using the RTAA, and no light vehicles are to be parked within it. Vehicles must not block the path required for access by oversize loads through the RTAA. Main Roads is currently investigating the potential for installing lockable bollards across both

The focus of discussion is ‘What can we do together to make this work better?’ Participants are encouraged to raise concerns, issues and potential solutions be held on 27 October. Limited places are available. To register your interest and secure your place, please email hvs@ mainroads.wa.gov.au or call the Heavy Vehicle Helpdesk on 138 486.

Additional dates will be published on our website once confirmed – click on the Heavy Vehicles tab at www. mainroads.wa.gov.au Do you have a topic that you think the transport industry would like to know more about? Are there any issues that you would like to discuss or learn more about? We encourage you to email your suggestions for session topics to us at hvs@mainroads.wa.gov.au

ends of the oversize crossover to prevent parking in that zone.

• Main Roads is developing a Traffic Management Plan for the Forrestfield site, including the enhancement of signage to reflect the terms of use for the RTAA. Main Roads is also liaising with other agencies to establish a management order over the RTAA to allow a wider range of options to be taken against vehicles parked contrary to the terms of use.

In the meantime operators can assist Main Roads by emailing hvs@mainroads. wa.gov.au or calling 138 486.

Thank you for your co-operation.

WATM • July 2021

9

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

Old trucks out – sensible thinking bureaucrats needed

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t was with interest that I read a report put out by Austroads relating to the fact that Australia has a higher use of older trucks than most other countries.

Austroads has published a research paper which analyses the impacts of an ageing heavy vehicle fleet and explores measures that have been used to manage this challenge. Trucks in Australia are older than in many other countries due to mainly the low barriers to entry exacerbated by having no secondary disposal market and few restrictions on how and where they operate.

Austroads say the oldest heavy vehicles impact the community in several ways including air pollution, noise and health but until now, this issue has been hard to define and manage.

Whilst there will be a negative response to this study it is commendable that what they say is true. Trucks built before 2008 are considered to be old and are pre our stringent emission rules. The trouble is nearly half of Australia’s heavy vehicle fleet is in this ‘too old’ category.

The suggested changes to fix this problem includes looking at charging higher registration fees or restrictions on older vehicles having access to higher populated areas.

Here we go again, where organisations define a problem and a solution without having much idea how our trucking

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industry work’s.

The answer always seems to be to increase charges. Have they ever thought that there is probably a very good reason why we drive older trucks.

The transport industry in Australia operates on very tight margins. I’m sure that a large proportion of operators would love to update to newer trucks if they thought they could afford to. It’s not by choice but out of necessity that we are forced to keep older trucks just to keep in the industry.

While the situation exists where our rates are and margins are tight then we will never break this cycle. The transport industry is on a high at the moment and it is the perfect time to get a rate increase but

Bureaucrats think they have the solution to problems with the transport industry, which is invariably increasing fee’s which does nothing to help when the margins are small and often non-existent

I’m sure the multinationals will fight tooth and nail to keep rates down.

Many years ago, a large transport company that I was working for came up with the idea that we were not to have any trucks in the fleet over ten years old. The reason according to them was to lift the image of the company but no they were not going to pay any more money to their drivers or contractors.

I pointed out to them that all of our trailers were well over ten years old and certainly could do with replacing so it would only be fair if we had to replace our trucks then they could replace the trailers.

This became the end of that little idea because they were not prepared to spend company money on new trailers.

In fairness, while some of the Owner Driver’s trucks were old they were very reliable and did an excellent job.

I’ve seen time after time bureaucrats think they have the solution to problems with the transport industry, which is invariably increasing fee’s which does nothing to help when the margins are small and often non-existent.

As always, to the people who identify the problem, how about talking to the actual people who do the job? Walk a mile in the shoes of a truck driver then you can be qualified to talk on our behalf.

Keep it safe, Ray Pratt.

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41 Moreton Street Heathwood QLD 4110 p: 07 3372 2223 f: 07 3372 1022 qld@khitch.com.au

www.khitch.com.au WATM • July 2021

11

News

WA’S CRITICAL NEED FOR INCREASED TRUCK SAFETY EDUCATION

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our in five accidents involving cars and trucks in Australia are the fault of the car driver and in nearly all these instances it is the car driver that is most likely to be killed or seriously injured.

Accident and serious injury data demonstrate that Australians are unaware of how to share the roads safely with trucks.

And in States like Western Australia where truck movements are growing in number by the day, this lack of awareness has authorities concerned.

Transafe WA Executive Officer Ana Stachewicz said there is a critical need to educate current and future road users how to share the road safely with trucks

Report reveals PBS vehicles involved in fewer major crashes

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joint report from the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR), Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport Australia (CILTA) and the National Truck Accident Research Centre (NTARC) has revealed Performance Based Standards (PBS) vehicles are involved in 60 per cent fewer major crashes than conventional vehicles.

This is a significant improvement over 12

WATM • July 2021

the results in a 2018 report which found 46 per cent fewer major crashes compared to the conventional fleet. PBS vehicles are also forecast to save 143 lives over 20 years.

The NHVR partnered with CILTA and the NTARC to deliver the Review of Major Crash Rates for Australian Higher Productivity Vehicles: 2015 – 2019 report, which looks at the reduced crash rates, fewer kilometres driven, and lives saved by

using PBS vehicles.

NHVR Chief Engineer Les Bruzsa said PBS vehicles were achieving safety gains beyond what was originally anticipated.

“In the last five years, PBS vehicles were involved in 60 per cent fewer major crashes than conventional trucks” Mr Bruzsa said.

“PBS articulated combinations had the lowest rate of crashes per distance travelled with 5.4 crashes per 100

News

Accident and serious injury data demonstrate that Australians are unaware of how to share the roads safely with trucks

in Western Australia – something not currently being met in our State's education system or road safety strategy priorities.

Ms Stachewicz said this issue is not confined to our regional roads. Between 2015 and 2019, half of the people killed or seriously injured in crashes involving at least one heavy vehicle were in the

metropolitan area.

In an Australian first, Transafe WA will introduce INSTRUCKTA - a truck and customised semi-trailer which expands into a cutting-edge education space.

INSTRUCKTA will travel to schools and community events around the State engaging the general public with learning opportunities that utilise augmented and virtual reality.

Primary school age children will learn about truck drivers, what they do, and the size of trucks relative to them.

“Our programming includes fun interactive, consequence driven games. We then build on these programs for secondary school age children and the community adding experiences that explore truck blind spots, overtaking and road courtesy, explained Ms Stachewicz.

“We’re taking road safety up a level in Western Australia, and using the awesome technology available to us to put the general road user in the truck driver’s seat and generate behavioural change on our roads.”

While trucks account for just 10 percent of the vehicles registered in WA, they travel at least half of the more than two billion kilometres we clock up on our roads every year in tasks that support our economy and lifestyles.

million kilometres travelled, compared to 17.6 crashes for their conventional counterparts — almost 70% lower.

“Not only are these vehicles equipped with the latest in braking and safety technologies to help prevent crashes, but they are also productive - delivering more goods with fewer vehicles in a safe manner.

“Over the last five years, PBS vehicles travelled 1.6 billion fewer kilometres on Australian roads over compared to conventional vehicles to transport the same freight task.

“This huge reduction in distance travelled means improved safety benefits

to our drivers, the community and reducing damage to our roads.”

There has been significant acceleration in the uptake of the PBS scheme, with a compound annual growth rate close to 43 per cent.

“There are now more than 12,000 PBSapproved combinations operating across Australia,” Mr Bruzsa said.

“Further growth will deliver greater safety and productivity benefits, supporting a strong and prosperous Australia, and the saving of more lives on our roads.”

View the full report visit www.nhvr.gov.au/ files/202105-1232-cilta-ntarc-review-of-majorcrash-rates-hpv-2015-19.pdf

“We may not realise it but we all depend on trucks. In such a vast and scarcely populated State they don’t just service major industries like mining, construction and agriculture, they stock shops and transport goods essential to our daily lives, said Ms Stachewicz.

Cam Dumesny, CEO Western Roads Federation, says INSTRUCKTA is an exciting and necessary initiative in Western Australia, which is going to fill an enormous gap in road safety education.

“The State Government of Western Australia has more than $2.39 billion committed to creating and upgrading roads around the state, to make our infrastructure safe for everyone.

“But this is only part of the solution.

It’s our shared responsibility as the WA community – the trucking industry, all the industries that rely on us, the not for profit sector, government and every Western Australian on the road – to learn how to safely and confidently share the roads with heavy vehicles.”

Source: Main Roads WA Integrated Road Information System (IRIS), prepared by the Road Safety Commission. Table 4: People KSI in heavy vehicle crashes by road user type, 2015-2019

In the last five years, PBS vehicles were involved in 60 per cent fewer major crashes than conventional trucks

WATM • July 2021

13

News

MAJOR BOOST FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIAN RENEWABLE HYDROGEN

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ustralia’s Heavy Vehicle Road transport industry has a unique set of characteristics that includes longer distances and larger combinations than occurs elsewhere in the world.

The WA State Government has welcomed a $71.2 million funding boost for two Western Australian renewable hydrogen projects through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).

Two of the three projects announced for ARENA funding are located in WA, in a clear sign of WA’s leading position in the renewable hydrogen industry.

The YURI Green Ammonia Project – a consortium between Engie Renewables Australia and Yara Pilbara Fertilisers – will receive $42.5 million towards a 10MW electrolyser to produce renewable hydrogen at the existing ammonia facility on the Pilbara’s Burrup Peninsula.

It follows the McGowan Government’s $2 million grant to the project in January this year through the WA Renewable Hydrogen Fund.

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WATM • July 2021

ATCO Australia’s Clean Energy Innovation Park will receive $28.7 million towards a 10MW electrolyser co-located at the Warradarge wind farm in the Mid-West, producing renewable hydrogen for gas blending.

In 2020, the McGowan Government helped to kick-start the project by funding a feasibility study into the Clean Energy Innovation Park and have committed more than $35 million towards developing a jobcreating renewable hydrogen industry in WA. Hydrogen Industry Minister Alannah MacTiernan says, “We welcome this funding injection through the Federal Government, which backs in our Government's efforts to position Western Australia as the nation’s leader on renewable hydrogen development.

“The McGowan Government’s earlystage funding for both projects through the Renewable Hydrogen Fund has now paid off.

“The projects align with the McGowan Government’s 2019 Renewable Hydrogen Strategy, developing a hydrogen industry for both export and to blend into the local

gas network.

“Renewable hydrogen will be a major future industry for WA, helping to reduce carbon emissions locally and around the world and supporting local jobs.”

Works begin at Australia's first regional renewable hydrogen plant Work has begun on Australia’s first community hydrogen power plant, providing an innovative and renewable alternative to the use of diesel in the Gascoyne town of Denham.

Horizon Power will install a 704-kilowatt (kW) solar farm, 348kW hydrogen electrolyser and a 100kW fuel cell in Denham, enabling excess renewable energy to be used to produce renewable hydrogen which will be stored on site and used to power homes as required.

It is the first time in Australia that a renewable hydrogen powered remote microgrid will be used in the community, with Denham chosen due to its proximity to wind and solar resources and land availability.

Site works on the solar farm have begun, with construction of the hydrogen power plant due to start in August and the project commissioned and operational by early 2022.

Initial results confirm Oakajee as ideal site for green hydrogen Initial data recordings of wind and solar conditions at the Oakajee Strategic Industrial Area in Western Australia’s Mid-West region indicate that it is an ideal site for the development of a green hydrogen industry.

ARUP, in conjunction with Fulcrum3D, have been recording site-specific wind and solar resource data at the Oakajee SIA since January 2021.

While recordings will continue for a full 12-month period to determine seasonal variability, the initial results are very encouraging and demonstrate the site's suitability for renewable energy to facilitate green hydrogen production.

The McGowan Government is currently reviewing 65 expressions of interest received to develop the greenfields strategic industrial

Renewable hydrogen will be a major future industry for WA, helping to reduce carbon emissions locally and around the world and supporting local jobs

site into a globally competitive renewable hydrogen production and export precinct.

There was a strong international interest in the EOI process including submissions from companies categorised as ‘super majors’, each having a global reach and market capitalisations in the tens or hundreds of billions.

With a 6,400-hectare footprint, the

Oakajee SIA has the capacity to support an extensive renewable energy hub and deliver power at internationally competitive power prices, essential for the competitive production of green hydrogen.

The site, managed by DevelopmentWA, is located on the coast just 23 kilometres north of Geraldton and is connected via the North West Coastal Highway to the Geraldton Port.

“These initial results are extremely encouraging and confirm that Western Australia has a world-class renewable resource that is ideal to support a successful green hydrogen industry.

“The Oakajee SIA is ideally located for the production and export of renewable energy both to local and international markets and there has been strong global interest in developing the site.

“We know there is incredible demand for clean, renewable energy and we are determined to ensure Western Australia is a market leader in the production of renewable hydrogen,” said Minister Alannah MacTiernan.

WESTERN ROADS FEDERATION IS THE UNITED VOICE OF WA TRANSPORT COMPANIES Western Roads Federation has been formed to give a strong unified voice for companies who use WA roads for commercial benefit.

Western Roads Federation is a membership driven organisation. If you believe in the industry and what you do, then make sure your company is a member, and get involved.

For a membership application form Email cam.dumesny@westernroads.com.au ◆ Phone 08 9365 7799 or 0481 064 371 180 Hay St, East Perth WA 6004

WATM • July 2021

15

Over to you BIRDS EYE VIEW by Carol Messenger

BlueParrott M300-XT Bluetooth headset review

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o you want to save $1000 - and better still, four demerit points?

That is the penalty for being caught using a mobile phone whilst driving in Western Australia. Big penalty, yet as you drive around all day, the absolutely ‘huge’ number of people that you see holding a phone to their ear whilst driving is staggering.

I am lucky, in that my truck has Bluetooth technology meaning whenever the phone rings, I can answer it by touching the phone button on my dash and it plays the conversation through my radio. Not brilliantly, and quite echoey but it does the job and it doesn't put me at risk of being fined. With my current set up, I can get the general gist of the message and for any specifics I can call back when I stop. The problem is however, that I have an old car that doesn't have Bluetooth and for that I have tried a couple of those adaptors where you dial into a radio frequency but have never had any luck getting any of them to work. I ended up getting a phone cradle that attaches to the windscreen so I am hands free - but it is still not a brilliant solution.

Then I was offered an opportunity to trial

News 16

10,000 more interstate vehicles roll into Western Australia WATM • July 2021

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ehicles transferred from interstate and registered in Western Australia increased from 29,990 between May 2019 to April 2020 to 40,339 between May 2020 to April 2021. This is a 10,000 car or almost 35 per cent increase on the previous year.

Driver's licences transferred from interstate increased from 17,880 between

May 2019 to April 2020 to 20,133 between May 2020 to April 2021 - an increase of more than 2,000.

The Department of Transport has hired additional Customer Service Officers to meet demand.

Residents with a driver's licence issued from an Australian State or Territory

the BlueParrott M300-XT Bluetooth headset.

In the interests of transparency, I will advise upfront that I was provided with this unit at no charge to trial and review. I have tried a few 'cheapies' before but I have not found one that is good enough to put up with the discomfort of wearing it in my ear.

Well what a pleasant surprise it was to use this unit. The first thing that you notice is that you can use it in either ear - the little earpiece section rotates a full 360 degrees enabling it to be used in either right or left ear.

It also comes with three different size buds so that you can get the perfect fit for your ear shape. The microphone stalk rotates about 290 degrees so you can move it to where it best suits you. It is incredibly lightweight (they state 20g) and once in, you really don't notice that you are wearing it. It has a hook piece that sits over your ear so it supports itself and doesn't just rely on the ear bud. If you wear glasses or sunnies then you have to fiddle a bit to get them both sitting right but you get used to it.

So the big question - does it work well?

Bloody oath it does. It is absolutely crystal clear both for hearing and transmitting.

My husband (who wears a hearing aid) often struggles to hear me properly through my truck Bluetooth, but says he can hear me perfectly when I am using this headset.

Sometimes when using my truck Bluetooth I can hear my own voice feeding back through the truck and it is very hard to have a conversation trying to talk over that but this headset seems to eliminate that problem.

The specs will tell you that it eliminates 80% of the background noise from your end of the call which makes it so much easier to hear and understand. My father is delighted as normally, my truck magnifies the indicator noise if I am turning and it drives him batty - he says he can't even hear it now when I am using this product.

So what about ease of use? Well, it charges by USB-C (included) which happens to be the same as my Samsung

Galaxy phone so that is easy - I don't have to have two cords. It takes around two hours to fully charge from empty and has about 14 hours talk time, 420 hours standby time. They advise that it has a range of 100m but that does depend on the type of phone that you have it connected to and also your surroundings. Let’s just say that it has a very good range and that you can leave your phone in the truck when you are loading or unloading and still have no problems answering the calls.

It does have volume buttons on the back so you can turn it up or down to suit your level of hearing. Answering the call is a simple matter of just reaching behind your ear to press a button and on this point, the buttons are quite small and the 'answer' button is at the top so I find I have to run my fingers over all three to find the right one to press - but as you use the unit more, this does become easier.

For me, it would be a lot easier if the 'answer' button was on the side or on the mike arm but as I say, I am getting more used to it.

Whilst the 100m range of the headset is a blessing it can also be a problem if you forget to turn the headset off when you take it off. A

outside of WA can use their licence for up to three months, after which time they need to transfer their licence to a WA licence.

Any vehicle registered outside of WA must make a new application for the grant of a WA vehicle licence, be inspected at an Authorised Inspection Station and issued with a valid certificate of inspection before

they can be licensed in WA. WA Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said, "We have seen a dramatic increase in vehicle registrations in WA and licence transfers across to WA. "Anecdotally we have heard about the number of people returning back to WA and these figures prove this.

So the big question - does it work well? Bloody oath it does. It is absolutely crystal clear both for hearing and transmitting. number of times I have been in the office and forgotten to turn it off and when my phone rings the headset (which is on my desk in the office) picks up the call and I can neither speak to, or hear the person on the other end of the line - so you need to remember to turn it off when you don’t need it.

The instruction book that comes with it has lots of pages and I was dreading trying to get it to work. Me, I am not good with technology, so it really has to be the KISS principle - (Keep It Simple Stupid) but overall I found it simple to get it working all on my Molly Malone.

What the book doesn't seem to tell you is that there are quite a number of other features - walkie talkie and reading you a text message amongst them. For that you have to download the app and whilst I have done that, I am still trying to work out the rest.

All in all, this is a very good product.

It is easy to use and the conversations between caller and receiver are incredibly clear with almost no background noise.

It is lightweight, hard wearing but most importantly - it will save you $1000 and four demerit points so in the words of Molly Meldrum, "Do yourself a favour and check it out".

This is a 10,000 car or almost 35 per cent increase on the previous year.

WATM • July 2021

17

Focus

Can I Pay My Drivers a ‘Flat Rate’?

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atRoad says that a frequently asked question by their members is, “Can I pay my drivers a flat rate for all hours worked?”

Natroad’s reponse to this question is the payment of a flat hourly rate of pay for your drivers can initially seem like an easy way to simplify wage calculations, allowing you to streamline the payroll process. However, you need to be aware of the potential legal minefield that might result from incorrectly putting employees on a flat hourly rate of pay.

There is a misconception that where employees are paid a flat rate above the award minimum hourly rate, overtime, penalty provisions, and allowances do not apply. Under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) any alternative arrangements need to meet the minimum standards prescribed by the National Employment Standards and modern award provisions so paying a flat rate can often compound problems rather than solve them.

Under the transport modern awards employers are able to incorporate entitlements such as overtime, penalty

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WATM • July 2021

rates, allowances and leave loading into individual employee’s flat hourly rate of pay by mutual written agreement.

However, to be lawful these arrangements need to be formalised in an Individual Flexibility Arrangement (IFA) in accordance with the modern award’s specific provisions.

When implementing IFAs employers have the responsibility to ensure these arrangements pass the Better Off Overall Test, more commonly referred to as the “BOOT” test.

The BOOT involves weighing up the advantages and disadvantages of the IFA to the employee. A comparison of the employee’s entitlements under the proposed IFA against their entitlements under their award should form part of the IFA’s terms and show that the employee is better off under the IFA. The Fair Work Ombudsman’s Best Practice Guide on the use of IFAs advises that when deciding if the employee is better off overall, you should consider the following questions:

• Who initiated the request?

• What entitlements are being changed?

(For example, hours, overtime, penalty rates, allowances.)

• What is the value of these entitlements under the award?

• Does changing the employee’s span of hours change their penalty rates?

• Is the employee better off financially?

(For example, will they receive more on a flat rate of pay under the IFA than they would be paid the separate entitlements under the applicable award?)

• Are there any situations where the employee wouldn’t be financially better off? (such as a roster cycle or after a certain amount of overtime.)

• Are there any other circumstances or characteristics unique to the employee that should be considered? (For example, factors such as the employee’s family commitments, their health, whether they have a second job, study or other interests.)

In order to implement a flat hourly rate of pay, you should implement mutually agreed on IFAs and not simply start paying their employees higher rates of pay. You also need to advise employees that penalties and overtime are now incorporated into their hourly rate of pay and obtain consent to the terms of the IFA. Without an IFA, informal arrangements are highly unlikely to be legally binding. Failure to comply with the relevant agreement provisions could result in underpayments to employees which could prompt a union or a Fair Work Ombudsman investigation resulting in back pay and possible fines for Award breach.

It is also important that you review IFAs regularly (at least annually) to ensure the entitlements of the employee under the IFA continue to result in the employee being better off when compared with the Award.

This is important when circumstances change, for example when the pay rates under awards are reviewed (this typically occurs annually from 1 July).

NatRoad’s advisors are experienced in assisting employers to meet their legal obligations in employment matters, including the drafting of Individual Flexibility Arrangements. For more information and advice about your obligations, contact a NatRoad adviser on (02) 6295 3000..

News

South Korean investment powers up WA’s battery industry

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Time to Sweat - crackdown on impaired drivers

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rink and drug drivers are on notice the McGowan Government's tough new penalties for impaired driving come into effect as of July 1.

From this date, for the first time, drivers caught with both alcohol and drugs in their system will be charged with the new offence of driving with a blood alcohol content of or above a particular level with a prescribed illicit drug in oral fluid or blood.

Western Australia is only the third State to introduce a specific 'poly' offence for driving while affected by a combination of alcohol and drugs.

A driver who records a blood alcohol reading in excess of 0.05 and tests positive to drugs will have their licence disqualified for a minimum of three months and face a

or saliva sample for testing will more than double.

The increase in penalties reflects the seriousness of driving while affected by drugs or alcohol.

Last year there were 42 road fatalities where alcohol was suspected to be a factor.

The Road Safety Commission has developed a road safety campaign to educate the community on the new impaired driving offences and penalties which will run State-wide on TV, radio, and digital platforms from tonight.

Police and Road Safety Minister Paul Papalia said, "Impaired driving is a major contributor to road trauma in Western Australia.

"We are determined to take dangerous

Repeat offenders could face a mandatory licence disqualification for life and fine of up to $11,250 for driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs maximum fine of $1,900 for a first offence.

Repeat offenders could face a mandatory licence disqualification for life and fine of up to $11,250 for driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

Penalties for existing, stand-alone drink and drug driving offences will increase by a minimum of 1.5 times the current penalty.

The penalty for refusing to comply with a direction from police to provide a breath

drivers off our roads and make our roads safer for all road users.

"We have invested significantly in increased enforcement and now we are introducing these tougher penalties.

"It should send a clear message to the community about the seriousness and the risk to all road users when you get behind the wheel under the influence of alcohol and drugs."

outh Korean company POSCO's has made a decision to invest $US240 million in a 30 per cent stake in First Quantum Minerals' Ravensthorpe nickel mine.

First Quantum Minerals will retain a 70 per cent interest and continue as operator.

POSCO's long-term offtake agreement for 7,500 tonnes of nickel in mixed nickel-cobalt hydroxide precipitate per year from Ravensthorpe, starting in 2024, will help underpin its secondary battery material business.

The companies have also entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to explore producing materials, such as nickel sulphate, which is used to manufacture cathodes in lithiumion batteries.

This decision builds on POSCO's existing investments in Western Australia's battery minerals industry including its offtake with Pilbara Minerals' Pilgangoora project.

It is expected that global demand for lithium-ion batteries will increase tenfold by 2030, primarily driven by uptake in electric vehicles.

Western Australian and international companies are progressing plans to further process lithium and nickel locally to produce lithium hydroxide and nickel sulphate.

The Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation is engaging with global precursor manufacturers in key markets on this potential investment opportunity.

WATM • July 2021

19

News

Pilbara iron ore powering Australia’s economy

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inister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia Keith Pitt recently visited a major iron ore mine in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.

The Pilbara is the world’s most significant iron ore region. With world prices currently at record levels our exports are forecast to reach a new high of A$136 billion this financial year, up from the previous record of A$103 billion last year.

Iron ore is Australia’s single largest commodity export and is forecast to earn Australia around A$700 billion over the six years to 2025-26. Iron ore supports 45,600 direct Australian jobs and is a major employer of Indigenous Australians.

In Western Australia, iron ore royalties alone topped $5 billion in the six months to 31 December 2020.

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WATM • July 2021

NEW FUNDRAISING RECORD SET FOR NTI'S TRUCK RESTORATION

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new fundraising record has been set for a classic 1946 Jailbar truck, restored by Australia’s leading transport and logistics specialist insurer, NTI, to help raise much-needed funds for Motor Neurone Disease (MND) research.

The classic truck, dubbed “Jolene”, raised $235,000 from more than 27,000 raffle ticket sales. NTI has committed an additional sum to take the total funds raised from the initiative to $335,000. Every dollar raised will go directly to MND research to help find a cure or effective treatment for the debilitating disease.

NTI’s CEO Tony Clark said the company was thrilled with the new record set by “Jolene”, the third Jailbar and fourth truck to be restored by NTI. “Elizabeth Fritsch from Aldavilla, New South Wales, was announced as the lucky winner and new owner of “Jolene”. She was shocked and excited when I rang her from the Brisbane Truck Show with the news of her win,” Mr Clark said.

“It’s a wonderful result. She’d bought two tickets via Facebook, which goes to prove if you’re in it, you’ve a chance of winning.

“We had the pleasure of meeting Elizabeth and her family to congratulate her and hand over the keys in person. Seeing the sheer joy

on their faces was priceless.”

The funds from “Jolene” is on top of $534,000 already donated by NTI in the past five years to MND and Me and MND Research Australia to fund NTI’s official research grant.

NTI supports research into MND as a legacy to late CEO Wayne Patterson, who was diagnosed in 2015 and later lost his battle.

His widow Lisa drew the winning ticket at an official ceremony at the Brisbane Truck Show, held at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre.

“It’s vital we find a cure, as every day in Australia two people die from MND,” Mr Clark said.

Two people a day are also diagnosed with the disease, while more than 2,100 Australians live with MND, which can affect adults of any age. ““Jolene” is a work of art. She’s not just a truck and the result is a team effort. The commitment NTI’s people have shown to fundraising for MND research is humbling.

“And, of course, none of this would be possible without our sensational industry partners – especially Isuzu Trucks and Royan Truck & Trailer Repairs Brisbane - who jump on board each and every time with the same level of support and enthusiasm.”

Hall of Fame famously challenging Gibb River Road, and is a familiar visitor to Kalumburu, Balgo and other communities in outback country. His contribution to the industry isn’t easy to measure. It comes in at millions of kilometres accumulated over more than 30 years.

Steve now has a circle of friends that stretches across Australia, but in the background it has been a tough apprenticeship. In the beginning, with a young family in Perth, he faced the personal hardships that work can bring with it, dealing with constant separation, gruelling schedules and financial challenges. It took time and experience to develop the business skills necessary to be a successful contractor, while at the same time strengthening his knowledge of the trade itself. Time spent in livestock cartage was good grounding for off-road driving, involving as it did the need to access unestablished roads with heavy trucks.

Steve has preferred American trucks,

STEVE GRAHAME

S

teve Grahame’s career started as a prospecting field-hand, then drilling which required a truck licence. With the legacy of his father’s skills with heavy machinery and a family background with livestock, Steve began forging a place in the transport industry first carting livestock, then supplying communities across a vast area of Australia, delivering building supplies and equipment for fundamental necessities that they depend on for their survival.

Steve works to a principle: you do

what is necessary to get the freight in, and undamaged, otherwise there’s no point.

As an exponent of long distance haulage at its most extreme and challenging, what Steve does requires skill, experience and determination.

His work extends from the Pitjantjatjara land in northern South Australia, up through the Northern Territory and across the Kimberley region of Western Australia, areas that give the word outback its meaning.

Nearly every year, Steve has driven the

his choice of bigger, stronger trucks like the C501 Brute, being more efficient for that kind of haulage and meets the demands of the territory he has to cover.

His work has been recognised and the exceptional contribution he has and is making to the transport industry not only recognised by his membership in the Transport Hall of fame but through a legion of fans from the transport industry and general public who have followed him on the Outback Truckers series.

WATM • July 2021

21

Over to you The Corvettes were at the entrance gate, you get a surprise when you see that many as you don't see them driving around in the city that often.

A good line up of Ford Model As in various colours.

Shannons Classic Car Show at Ascot Racecourse This image and left: At three o’clock it was time to go home. Not so plain sailing for everyone. Jake did have a break down on the way to the show so finer adjustments to Jim’s Foden had to be made before the trip home.

Another red and white combination that drew some interest from enthusiasts was Herby’s 4WD Humber and Colin Day’s Mack.

That's a pair of fins!

Morris Commercials.

22

WATM • July 2021

Car enthusiasts were out in force on this lovely day. There were vehicles on show to suit everyone's taste. Big flashy American cars with fins and chrome, old vintage cars and trucks and the very quirky and unusual.

Thanks to Shannons Insurance for another excellent event.

Lights on the Hill on Saturday and Shannons on Sunday.

Eddy always has the sign and flag out for the club.

Russell Phillips from East Victoria Park and his recently immaculately restored 1937 Diamond T.

Above, right and below: A bit more quirky were the Ikara kit car, the three wheeler that didn't look all that stable maybe it was better with a load on and the Tatra with the double window at the back.

A 1928 Ford tow truck fitted with a three ton Apac auto crane made in Adelaide.

Above and above left: A Holden Ute and a panel van with venetian blinds from the same vintage. A closer inspection of Nolan Classic Spares logo will reveal the coincident between the business address, year of establishment, phone number and the make, model and engine of the car. Established 1964 and located in 254 Holden street and the Phone number is 24 1964.

Rod Boyd always brings a load on the Fiat to the different events, this time it was one of his Fiat cars.

WATM • July 2021

23

History

The History of the West Australian Road Transport Industry

By Russell McKinnon Sir Charles Court

A “Christmas gift” for the Association was a letter from the TWU State Secretary claiming a $40 per week over-award wage increase in addition to substantial improvements in working conditions.

The Association recommended to all members to make a firm stand against this “unreasonable” claim.

Members who attended the quarterly meeting on December 18 were advised that the Association training activities had been “reasonably successful”, but that more members needed to take advantage of it.

1976

1975 V

ice-President Len Hall, who was elected in August, died before the November 5 meeting at which two minutes’ silence was observed. A Bray replaced him as Vice-President. Mr Hall joined the Executive Committee in late 1970 and rose to Vice-President in 1974, serving just over one year in the position.

The Crane Division was established and three meetings had been held before the late November Council meeting. B O’Connor was elected Chairman and J Black Vice-Chairman.

A restriction on the numbers of companies that could operate road trains to Muchea was “unreasonable”, the November 26 Council meeting was informed. The Association decided to support this sentiment and decided to write letters to the Minister for Transport and the Commissioner of Main Roads, urging the approval of the use of road trains to and from Perth on a restricted-hours basis.

24

WATM • July 2021

There was consideration for making Hay Street Mall just pedestrian access. The Parcels and Light Delivery Division was abreast of the changes and the issues that this would cause.

Restriction on height (4.1m) was placed on vehicles using the Kwinana Freeway from February during the reconstruction programme, expected to last until August.

With the resignation of the Manpower Development Officer, J Stapleton, in April it was decided that the Association would still go ahead with the extensions to the offices.

The increase in the national wage of 6.4 percent meant the Furniture Removers’ Division had to increase rates by 10 percent to local, country and the North-West from March 1.

The average number of children carried on each school day by bus totalled 23,005 with an average daily run of 80,970km.

There were 703 bus contracts and 15 minor contracts in operation for an annual cost of $6,659,922. The average cost per child was $289.50.

An attempt to establish a multi-owner sub contractors’ section was dashed by the Executive on June 9, stating that Association membership should be enough for these people.

Authority was given for the use of

double-bottom road trains for all types of cargo north of Muchea.

At the Annual General Meeting of August 26, the constitution was amended to lift the number of trustees from two to three and J P Cox was appointed to join long-standing Trustees R H North and G A Dickenson.

The Association splashed out on a two-gallon urn and inquiries were made about asphalting at the rear of the building.

A price of $1849 was received from Pavic & Co, which was agreed upon.

Talks with Perth City proved fruitful with additional loading zones agreed upon.

The cost of travel to national conferences was always a bugbear and it was decided that no WA representative attend the ARTF Council meeting on November 17 because “there were insufficient agenda items of major interest”.

The Association amended the constitution to delete the word Secretary and replace it with the words Executive Director.

The Furniture Removers’ Division was active socially later in the year, holding a cabaret evening at the CTA Club on November 20 (although the absence of people from the larger removal companies was noted) and a Christmas function at the Floreat Hotel on December 7.

A report surfaced late in the year that a shipping company proposed to take over all the stevedoring activities at the Port of Fremantle.

The State’s new freedom-of-operation policy ended the licensing system within 60km of Perth GPO as well as restrictions on road transport of primary produce in many South-West areas. Road haulage of grain was permitted from several locations direct to the ports of Fremantle, Albany, Esperance and Geraldton. This season, exultant hauliers handled up to 720,000 tonnes.

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Behind the people who keep Australia moving Everything we do, every day, relies on the people who literally keep Australia moving. From the fresh food in our supermarkets, to the petrol in our cars, from the school bus, to the train you catch to work, even your holiday travel. None of it would happen without transport workers.

And behind them is TWUSUPER, the industry super fund for the people who look after you.

1800 222 071 twusuper.com.au SUPERRATINGS GOLD 2019 MYCHOICE SUPER

SUPERRATINGS GOLD 2019 PENSION

TWU Nominees Pty Ltd, ABN 67 002 835 412, AFSL 239163, is the trustee of TWUSUPER ABN 77 343 563 307 and the issuer of interests in it. 55621 26 WATM • July 2021