Our Roads & Transport - September 2022

ROADStransport

ADVOCATEONTHE ISSUES

Thefarnorth’s naturalbeauty makesthe regionwhatitis, butour relaxedsurroundings shouldn’t be reflectedinour attitude towardshowwelook afterandactonour roads.

Youcaneasily get by without acar insomepartsofthe country, but upherethe roadnetwork isthe region’s lifeline.TheNorthland AADistrictCouncilismadeupoflocalswho know our roadsand advocate ontheissues thataffectour regionandourpeople.

Resilientroads

Northland’s roadsareregardedasamong the worstinthe country-whetherit’s floods, slipsand washoutsor wearand tearfrom trucksandcars,theyput up with alotof punishment.Devastating weatherevents have beenhappeningwithfrightening regularityoverthelast fewyearsandthey don’t appear to beabout to stop.Our region wasn’t sparedduring recent delugesthat wreakedhavocacrossthe countrywith StateHighway1beingsevered by slips at MangamukaGorge yetagain.

Roadclosures resultinlosttimeand productivityforNorthlanders.Our economy isdependentonroadfreightwithincoming goodsandmuchofouragricultureand horticulturesector’sproducebeinghauled

Bettermaintenance

Youmighthaveseen alotofdiscussionof potholesinthemedialately.Atop concern oftheAAin recent yearshasbeenthe deterioratingstate ofNew Zealand’s roads and we’vebeen workinghardtobringthe

attentionofauthorities to thedips,craters andcracksthathavebeenappearinginthe network.Potholesareabadlook,they’re dangerous,andtheyarea financialburden.

Left unattended,minordamagecan quickly snowballinto major problems requiring costly work.

TheAAare farfromalonein recognising thatNorthlandersare notgetting value for their contributions to theLand Transport Fund –themediaand localpoliticianshave alsobeencallingonthe Governmentto properlyfundthe upkeepofour roads.

Sticking to therules Northlanderscanalso give themselvesa

By Tracey Rissetto AA NorthlandDistrictchair

southernneighbours having apopulation nearly ninetimesthe sizeofour own.

Incidentscausingdeathandserious injuries arecomplexevents, butthe severityofmanycouldbelessenedoreven preventedifmorepeopledrovetothe conditions,woreaseatbelt, stayedoff their phonesanddidn’tdrive undertheinfluence ofdrugsoralcohol.

Helping Northlandersgetahead

On apositivenote, ourAADistrictCouncil ispleased to seeour communitiesgetting ahelpinghand to accessdriver training and testing.Governmentagenciessuch as Waka Kotahiand Policehavepartnered with community organisationstohelpmore peoplegettheirlicences.

Decent access to trainingandlicencing serviceshas beenanissue forNorthland’s communities fora longtime.The temptation formanyyoung peoplehas beentodrive without alicence,puttingthemselvesand others at risk,andpotentially leadingthem downanundesirable paththrough the justicesystem.

Adriver’slicencegivespeopleaccess to opportunitiesandenablesthem to participate intheir communities.The AAis pleased to see theseinitiatives removing barriers to work,educationandamenities.

Having alicencemay provecrucialfor many youngpeopleasthecountry movestowards aperiodofeconomicuncertainty.

TheAANorthlandDistrictCouncilwill keeplistening to itslocalmembersand advocatingontheir behalfforsystemsand infrastructurethatdeliverfairer,better,and saferdriving experiences foreveryone.

Waka Kotahi contractorsarecarryingoutgeotechnical assessments to understandthe fullextentofthedamage at SH1throughMangamukaGorge.Photo: Waka Kotahi

Oneofthe five slipsidentified at theMangamukaGorge.Photo/Supplied

REGIONWIDE ACTION TO IMPROVENORTHLAND’S UNSEALED ROADS

Northland Transportation Allianceis implementing aNorthland-wide programme to improvethe region’s unsealed roadingnetwork.

It follows thedevelopmentofnew contract specificationsalignedwithindustry bestpractise,successfullyembedded over thepast twoyearson KaiparaDistrict’s unsealed roads.

Contributing to thathasbeenthesuccess ofNTAandKDC’s ProvincialGrowth Fund (PGF)investmentin unsealed roadsthatsaw an$8.06Mimprovementprogramdeliver 160Kmofunsealed road rehabilitation across Kaiparaandthe Te TaiTokerauWorker Redeploymentprogramme,a$9.32million collaborationbetweenKānoa –Regional Economic Development&InvestmentUnit, Northland’s Councilsand Waka Kotahi. By theendof2021the Worker Redeployment programmesupportedbringing over100 fulltime workersinto transport, roadingand arborist relatedrolesinNorthland.

Whilethe combinedprogrammes won’t mean aquick fixforthe extensiveunsealed roadingnetwork in Kaipara, Whangāreiand FarNorthDistricts,itwillprovide amuch betterlong-termsolution to managing, maintainingandimprovingthose roads over thenext 20 years.

“ThroughthePGFprogrammefunding we have established aCentreorExcellence(COE) aroundourunsealed road rehabilitationand maintenanceapproach, we have definedour roadevaluation,design,and work delivery processes to ensureappropriate buildsoccur forthe varyinglevelsofservicerequired for differentroads,”says NTAAssetManager AndyBrown.

“Thepractices we have adoptedare internationally recognisedbut we have gone above andbeyondthattodevelop amodel specifictoour roadingneeds.Our focusison getting to the rightroads at the righttime

togive themthe attentionandtreatment theyneedbasedonlow, medium,andhigh demand roads.

“Partofthisprocessiswhereweusekey distinctivefeaturesthatmakeuptheusage of roads(schools,Marae,logging,rural lifestylelivingetc.),beforeassessingand applying weighting to these to helpprioritise the roadneedsinto alonger range,proactive programmeof works. Of course,we also considerthelifecyclesofthepavements/ roadsbeing constructed.”

Critical to theprogrammeismakingsure roading foundationsanddrainageareright sothatroadscanbebuiltandmaintained appropriately fortheirlevelofuse.Some ofthenew techniqueshaveresultedin areduced rate ofdeteriorationmeaning potholingand corrugatingisoccurringless oftenanddustemissionisvisibly reduced.

WhileNTAGeneral Manager Calvin Thomas acknowledgesNorthland’s unsealed roads arenotpresentlyinthe conditionheand his team wouldlikethem to be rightnow, thenewlydevelopedunsealed renewals programmeis along-terminvestment balanced by targetingthe rehabilitationof

keypriorityroads first whilemaintainingthe remainderofthenetwork untillateryearsin theprogramme.

“Thatmeans forestryroads,roadswith high volumesoftraffic, and roadswherewe have higherdensityofhousinggettargeted /prioritised rehabilitationsothecustomer experienceisimproved.Thatiswhy we arecontinuing to work pro-activelywith FarNorth, Kaipara,and WhangāreiDistrict Council’s to deliverthebestoutcomes we

can. We areusing resourcesfromthroughout Northland to makethishappenbut recognise we canalwaysdobetter.

Of Northland’s nearly6,000kmoflocal roadingnetwork,3,370kmisunsealed, providingplenty ofchallenges forNTA.

AndwhileNTAexpects to facilitate the deliveryof$110-$120millionper year on Counciltransportationactivitiesin NorthlandbetweennowandJune2024, Mr Thomassays his teamis firmly focussedon utilisingthe availablefundsaseffectively astheycan –somethingwhich remainsan ongoingchallenge.

“Thereisnodoubtthe weathereventsof winter2022have had acompoundingimpact on attending to repairsandmaintenance butour teamsaredoingtheirbest to geton topofthings.Wehaveaprovenplaninplace and we arenow rollingthatacross FarNorth, Whangāreiand Kaipara.

to thinkabout enconsidering ectric Vehicle

ebecoming tonour roads vernment we are iggeruptakeofthe

at makingthe hatshould you hicles(or EVs) etobuythantheir here areavariety utmostputitdown to searchanddevelopment, andthe costofthe ra aterials required for thebattery.

It meansbuyinganelectric vehicleis aninvestmentforthelong term sincethe running costsofthe vehicleareless over itslifetime.

Northlandelectric vehicle expertand says EV ownerswillmakesavingson vehicle running costsandshouldthinkaboutthis whenlooking at makingtheswitch.

“The total costof ownershipshouldbe consideredwhenbuying acar.Depending onhowmuch youdrive,EVs canbecheaper. Every100,000kmtravelledwillsave approximately$15,000drivingan EV versus an Internal CombustionEngine,”Joesays.

Thecost to runanelectricvehiclewill beseenthroughanincreasein your powerbillbutitisfarcheaperthanthe costofpetrolordiesel. Thisisespecially

true if youcan get agood off-peak tariff from your powerretailer and charge your car at home overnight.

“For an average commuteyour powerbill will increase about the same as the use of awaterheater. If charged at home youcan expecttopay about $4 per 100kmversus approximately $20 per 100kmfor petrol,or about one fifthofthe cost of apetrol car to operate,”Joe says

Maintenancecosts of full electric vehicles areless too, simply because they have less moving parts.Electric vehicles still need servicing as per the manufacturer’s guidelines but thereisless to maintain.

“Thereare no oil changes,oil filters,fuel filters,air filters,cam belts,orwaterpumps We owntwo EVs, one with 220,000kmand the other with 120,000km, and Ihaveonly ever replaced the tyresand windshield wipers,”Joe says

Youneed to consider howyou use your vehicle and the range yourequire, because the greaterthe range of an electric vehicle, the moreexpensiveitwill be to buy.Think about how, whereand when youdrive your vehicle.Ifyou areusing it mostly on shorttrips then youwon’t need abig range.And even if youdogoabit further in between charges,ashorterrange vehicle will still likely charge fully again overnight. Remember the public EV charger network is growing also,and the rapid chargers can add 100kmtothe range in just 25 minutes, meaning youcan topupawayfromhome on those longer trips

Thereare moreand moreelectric vehicles coming on to the market and the pool of second hand EVsisalsoincreasing.Ifyou areconsidering the switch to electric,think carefully about your needs,your habits and whatvehicle maysuit your lifestyle

in northland

ROADStransport

TRANSPORTOF YESTERYEAR

Mostpeople considerthemotor car afundamentalpartofour society. It’s easy to forgetthat just over ahundred yearsago, theautomobilewas considered aluxury item; aplaything for the richandfamous.

Infact, duringtheearlypartofthe20th century, therewerethosewhosaid motorcars wouldneverbeacceptedor available to themasspopulation. HenryFordchangedthatperception. Heaimed to build avehiclethatevery man couldbuy.Heachievedthis,with theproductionofthe Model TFordfrom 1908onward. Over atwenty-yearperiod, 15millionofthesecars were built.Ford wasoneofthe firstcarmanufacturing companies to setupdealershipsinNZ. By 1914theyhad14dealerships.

Prior to the motorcar,youngpeople would find work intheirlocal community. Butnow, withthe availabilityofacarlikethemodel T, they couldeasilyliveand work away from

ByGeraldine Craw

home.Youngpeoplenolongerneeded to relyonthebenevolenceoftheirparents to allowthemaccess to thehorseandcarriage fortransport.Andso, thefamilyunitof theagriculturalsocietywaspulledapart. Children couldpurchase avehicleanddrive wheretheywished.

The firstautomobilesarrivedinNew Zealandin1898. William McLean, amember ofparliament, importedtwo Benzcars from France. McLeanalsointroducedthe McLean MotorCar Actwhichbecamelawin 1898. Thislegalisedtheoperationofmotor

vehicles,aslongasthey were litafterdark anddidn’t travelfasterthan20 kilometres perhour.(Howtimeshave changed!)

Examplesofsomeoftheearlycars thatformedpartofNZmotoringhistory, including a1922 Model TFord, areondisplay at the PackardMotor Museum. Themuseum’s oldest vehicleis a1906HumberLandaulette.

Of localinterest,isthe1923 Packard Seven-SeaterTourer,aservicecarused to transportpeoplebetween Whangarei townshipand WhangareiHeads.

In 1905,servicecars,largemulti-seater vehicles,beganoperatinginNZwhen mostpeople couldn’t affordavehicle.They

transportedpeoplefrom towntotown. We displaya1930 Cadillacservicevehicle, used by Newman’s Transport.Today, minivansandtaxishave taken overthe role ofservicecars.

Another vehiclewithlocalnorthland historyisthemuseum’s AustinSheerline.This vehicle wasused by the Queenin1953when she touredNorthland.

Duringthe1960s,NZmanufacturedits ownvehicle,the Trekka.Wehaveoneon display. So,ifyou wanttoexploremotor vehiclehistoryortake awalk downmemory lanethen avisit to the PackardMotor Museumis amust.

MOTOR MUSEUM

Tsafetyofboth road users and staff as it goes about repairing substantial damage to dozens of local Council roads around the region in recent months

With New Zealand recording its wettest winterinhistory, and near record breaking rainfall in Northland,roading infrastructure is under increasing pressureamidst the need forrepairs,saysNTA Maintenanceand Operations Manager BernardPetersen.

“Our teams have made assessing slips a prioritysinceNorthland’s winterwetness but unfortunately thereisnoone quick fix aftersomanyheavy rain events which have continued to compound roading damage,” says Mr Petersen.

“Wealwayswanttoget things tidied up as quickly as we can but thatisoften not possible. We understand the frustrations of our communities,and we aredoing as much,asquickly as we can to help people (our ownstaff included) affected

by road damage Mr Petersen.

Following exte Northland’s roads deluge of rain in caused abacklog take some years the best efforts crews. Therepair transportassets –estimatedat$

-with multiple slip crewsworking thr alongside anumber of graders.NTA is also continuing with regular routine inspections, covering thousands of km’s per month.

In some cases,roads impactedbyrecent slips arestill moving 15mm everyfew days, preventing urgentrepairs from getting underway. Around 60 geotechnical site assessments have been undertaken, with these assessmentreports required to inform investmentneeds.Temporaryrepairs are being done,tomaintain access,with long-

consideration of options, financial impact and funding approvals

Unfortunately historic underinvestment in slip repairs has resulted in alarge backlog, particularly in FNDC and KDC. Arecent surveyof900kmofcritical routes across Northland identified 900+ historic slip sites yettoberepaired.Morethan 1per kilometre.

One of the worst affectedlocal roads is West Coast Road which is hampering

FarNorth having easy access to healthcare, education, jobs,friends and whānau. Aslip in July still has single lane access despite it doubling in sizedue to moreheavy rain within amonth.

Another major slip in August further along West Coast Road has subsequently caused a45minutedetour and while single access past thatmay be possible forashort time,thatpartofthe road will have to be closed at alater date while full repairs arecompleted,oriffurther sudden and unpredictedland movementoccurs

Separatetodozens of over-slips,the Far North continues to be hampered by the impacts and inconvenienceofnumerous dropout slips belowthe road,resulting in manyareas of single lane lighttraffic as bore-hole testing to measureland movementcontinues

“With the damage incurredacross the Network from these most recent events even moresignificantthan 2020, staff and crewsare working to restoreconnectivity to communities as soon as we possibly can,” says NTAGeneral Manager Calvin Thomas

“Weare mindful howeverthatwith the saturatedground we currently have anyadditional rainfall maycause further damage and encourage residents and motorists to reportany issues of concernto Council as soon as they areidentified.”

ROADStransport

TRANSPORT

NorthlandisNew Zealand’s fastest-growing regionandthe Governmentisgettingonwith thejobofupgradingourtransport connectionsso we canmakethemostofthe opportunities growthbrings.

Withlocalgovernment, we’reinvesting arecord$24.3billioninto transport servicesandinfrastructureoverthree years.That’sa44%increase on the previousthree years.It’salso75%more than thepreviousgovernment.

We’velistened to the concernsof localgovernmentand communities and we have steppedin with$2billon offinancing in thelatestNationalLand TransportProgramme(NLTP)2021-24.

As anyonetravellingnorthof Whangārei knows all toowell,ourtransport network isalsoincreasinglyimpacted by repeatedsevereweathereventsdue to climate change,soontop ofour road maintenanceinvestments,we’re investing afurther$3.9billiononimprovements to help connectcommunities,ensurethe reliablemovementoffreightandimprove resilienceacrossthe country.

However, thosesevereweather impacts meanit’s nolongersensible to putall ourtransporteggsinonebasket.The Governmentisthinkingbeyond roads to buildupour railand coastalshipping.To further reduceemissionsandhelpfreight move efficiently,theNLTPdelivers$1.3 billion to implementtheNZ Rail Planand

$30million to supportcoastalshipping.

HereinWhangāreiandNorthland,in 2020 we put$219millioninto upgrading thefreightrailway from West Auckland to Whangārei,takingthousandsoftrucksoff the roads.We’re alsoputtingabout$700 millioninto upgradingthe raillinkfrom KauritoOtiria, completing aMarsden Pointraillink, and to makeimportant safetyupgrades to the WhangāreiMarsdenhighway.

Theraillinkisalsoimportantto developingNorthport, potentiallya hugeeconomicdriver forour region. SinceCOVID,the folksofNorthport haverepeatedlyproventheycanhandle major containerships,andareforging aheadwith consenting forashipyard,a floatingdrydockandfutureexpansion ofthe container-handlingoperation.A recent reportsuggeststhedrydock could

create 1135newjobsdownstream,and theportexpansionafurther1500. The potential fortheNavy’s partial relocation toWhangareialsounderlinesthe importanceofthe Government’sfunding ofthe Marsdenline.

KiwiRailhave alreadypurchased muchofthenecessarylandand expecttopresentadetailedbusiness case(preliminaryprojectdesign,site investigation,assessmentofgeotechnical risks,costings and commercialmodelling) to Ministersshortly.

Using rail forfreightalsoproducesfar feweremissionsthan roadtransport, whilegettingmoreheavy trucksoffthe roaditmakesthehighwaysafer.Safetyon SH1 concernsallofuslocal to Whangārei, especiallythat20kmstretchheading south. Thosehigh-riskintersectionsin WaipuandRuakākā,asalllocalsknow,

canmake yourheartskipmorethan afew beats,and we have seenmorethanour fairshareofseriousaccidents.

Accordingly,we’re investinginsafety measuressuchas centrelinebollards, etc.,which we know work,havingseena dropofabout80%indeathsonthe10km stretchofSH1between Toetoe Roadand Springfield Roadsincemid-2018,when similarsafetymeasures were introduced.

Waka Kotahihave alsobeen working hardwithlocal communities to design workable roadentrances,toareally positiveresponse.

Thesearesomeofthebiggest investmentsinNorthlandinfrastructure seenin ageneration,andwillsupport Northland’s economic recovery as we move into ourlong-termstrategy for COVIDand continue to navigatea challengingglobalenvironment.

Checkingoutthe plannedsitewherethenew railspur willjointhemainline

Northporthas steppedup to Globalshippingdemandswith recent container vessel calls

Image CreditKiwirail -Thismapshowsthedesignatedroutefor aMarsden Pointline

WHYYOUR SPEED MATTERS

Thereare already24families whowillnothave aloved one at Christmasthisyearthanks to fatal crashes on Northlandroads.

Acontributingfactorinmostof theseisspeed.Sothat’s why speedmatterswhenit comes to driving.

We wanteveryonewhousesour Northland roads to get to wherethey’re goingsafely.

Drivingisunpredictableandifsomething unexpectedhappensonthe roadahead–suchas achildsteppingoutfrombetween parked cars–itisadriver’s speedthatwill determinewhethertheycanstopintime and,iftheycan’t stop,how hardtheywillhit.

•Speedingortravelling toofast forthe conditionsis recorded by policeatcrash scenesas acontributoryfactorinonein four(25%) roaddeathsinNew Zealand.

•Driverswithonespeedingviolation annuallyaretwiceaslikely to crashas thosewithnone.

Beingattentivetothe roadandstaying withinthespeedlimitisthebest wayinthe

world to save livesatthewheel.

Whilespeedisoftennottheonlyfactor contributing to acrash,it’s acrucialfactor indeterminingtheseverityofevery crash. It canbethedifferencebetweenbeing seriouslyinjuredor killedin acrash,or walking away unharmed.

Mistakesareinevitable,butdeathsand seriousinjuriesfrom roadcrashesarenot.

Nomatter whatcausesa crash, vehicle speeddirectlyaffectsthe forceoftheimpact andthe resultingtraumaoutcome.Thefaster yougo, the greatertheriskofseriousinjury ordeath.

Thisisbecause:

•Thedriverhaslesstime to reacttoahazard.

•Thedistancetravelledbeforecoming toa stopis greater.

•Thespeeduponimpactisgreater.

If the worsthappens giveyourselfthe bestchancetosurvive.

Makeastand,bebrave, don’t letspeed controlyou. Slowdown.

Areadofthealarmingfigures below tells youexactlywhywewanttowork alongside your communityand keep you allsafeonthe roads:

Year-to-date (YTD),256peoplehave died onour roads,whichisjustunder12%more than at thesametimelast year(229),and4% shyof2018’shighof264deaths (YTD)*.

Nearly aquarterofthose were aged between15-24 yearsold,whichisan increaseof35% year-on-year,up29%and 59%on2020and2019 respectivelyandjust 13%lessthanthehighof2018.

*Datasource as at 20/09/2022: Te Manatū Waka MinistryofTransport

nowbeinginthebestposition we have ever beenin to maintain apresenceinNorthland andactonopportunities:

•Wecontinuedand expandedour Maori YouthEngagementStrategy,helped by youngMāoricommitting to workingwith us to keepthemomentumgoingthrough ourwhanaungatanga.

•InNovember2021, wereceivedthenews we hadsecuredfunding to expandour teamsothatwecoulddedicate aperson to Northland.

•Lastly,our extensiveprocessof consultation resultedinbeing giftedan alternativeTereo Maoriname -Kaitiakio Ara -whichisnowpartofour refreshed logo .You can readmoreaboutthathere inthe wordsofSterlingand Ash.

OurKaupapa(vision) -“Empowering

Empowering young Kiwistoprevent loss on ourroads. Together.

including:Northland Road Safety,FarNorth REAP,ACC,NZPoliceandBuilding Safer Communities -toact onourvisionandmake apositivedifference. In simple terms,wecan betherelongerandmoreoften.

Theroadsafetydataonlyaccounts for thosethathavepaidthehighestprice, yetthereare other consequencesthatwill impactayoungperson’s life. It canhave lastingimpactsontheir wellbeingboth physicallyandmentally,andcanlead to trafficoffendingandlossofopportunitiesin life. Drinkdriving,speeding,beingdistracted andnotabiding by driverlicenceconditions arecommon riskfactors foryoungdrivers.

SinceCovid,deathsandseriousinjury levelshave increased.The challengeis forall tocome together to dothemahiandturn thesituationaround.

SADD/KaitiakioAra is astudent-led,peer-

theschoolgatesandinto their communities, extendingtheir focus to everyoneelse.

Ourorganisationoffersopportunities forcommunity-minded youngpeople tocontributeindiverse ways.SAFER

September(StudentAdvocatesfor Everyone’s Road Safety)isourcampaign to get conversationsstartedand to take action to make asocietalchange to builda roadsafetyculture. We canonlymakethese changes by working togetherandtaking responsibilitytomake adifference.

If youwanttotalkaboutSADD/KaitiakioAra orhave aschoolor agroupof youngpeople whoareinterestedinlearningmoresimply calloremail SandraorMia:

SandraDacey

SADD/KaitiakioAra Programme DeliveryLead Northland,Auckland,Thames/Coromandel sandra@sadd.org.nz

0272793130

Or MiaDins

SADD/KaitiakiOAra Projects Coordinator projects@sadd.org.nz

0272699883

SADD/KaitiakioAra is committed to workingwithNorthland schoolsand communities.

Thetop fiveways to identify drugsin your workforce

By Kirk Hardy,CEO, TheDrug Detection Agency

Identifyingdrugissuesisa

We’ve heardfromNorthland operators concerned abouttheeffectscannabis, methamphetamine,alcohol andothersubstanceshave ondriversand staff –andtheyall want to know thesame thing.

HowdoIspotanemployeeabusing substancesbeforethesituationbecomesa problem?

TDDAteachesmanagers to recogniseand dealwithdrugsinthe workplace. We teach people to recognisethesignsofsubstance abuse,whatdrugparaphernalialookslike, andhowtodealwithsomeoneunderthe influence. We alsoassist companieswith testingprogrammesandpolicies to help deterusageentirely.

Here arefive ways to minimise risk:

1. Check forchangesin attendance

Peoplewithdrugandalcoholissuesmiss moredaysofworkper yearthantheirsober counterparts.Usersoftenhavepunctuality issues too. Look forregular,andlongerthan average,breaksortripsoutoftheoffice or truckcab.Thesemay indicate usageduring work.Scan forpatterns, ifthey’realwayslate afterpaydaythere’sagoodchancetheyare toppingupdrugsuppliesandareinahigh usageperiod.

2. Be awareofperformanceissues

If anemployee’sperformancedropsoff or

If your fleet has vehiclemonitoring,look forpoordriving,breakingorswerving behaviourson your telematicssoftware. Check forreoccurringminorincidents.We recommend adrugandalcohol testincases wherethereisanincidentoranearmiss.

3. Testaftererratic behaviourand over reactions

Look foremotionalsensitivity, angry outbursts,andbeingdefensiveto constructiveormildcriticism.Noticemood swingsand rapidchangesin attitude.Drugs arelinkedwithanger,anxiety, depression, andothersymptoms.

Managersshouldbetrained to dealwith employeespresentingsymptoms,particularly symptomsinvolvingaggression. Aggressive behavioursarechallenging to dealwithand canquicklyspiraloutof control.

4. Testwhenvisualcluesarepresent Someoneabusingsubstancesmayleave drugparaphernalialikepipes,baggies, andprescriptionblisterpacksinplain view.Noticeifaworkerhasbloodshotor runnyeyes. Takenoteiftheirpupilsare very constrictedorverydilated, bothare signsofsubstanceabuse.Iftheyarevisibly shakyorhavealossofbalance, testing fordruguseis recommended.TDDAhas detectedsteadilyincreasinguseofopioids inthetransportandlogisticsindustry. This includesillegaldrugssuchasheroin,opium and fentanyl,andprescriptionmedications suchasmorphine,oxycodone,codeineand tramadol.Drowsiness,confusion, alackof concentrationandnauseamayindicate

5.Ensuresupervisorsandmanagersget professionaltraining Findanaccrediteddrug testingorganisation likeTDDAandget certifiedin averified drugidentificationprogramme.Selecta programmethatprovides techniques to helpmanagersmakeinformeddecisions–andthatbuildstheir confidence. It should identifybehavioursthatindicate recent substanceuseandkeeppacewithtrendsin thedrugmarket.

Theprogrammeshouldtrain amanager to appropriatelyaddress asuspecteddrugrelatedsituationsafely,asapoorlyhandled onecan rapidlyescalate into apersonal grievance. Atrainedmanagerwillhelp keep your fleetonthe road,your company compliantwithHSWA2015,andkeep you outoflegalproceedings.

fluctuatesyoumayhaveadrugissue.For example,adrugusermay fill inlogbooks well at thebeginningofthe weekbutpoorly on Thursdayand Fridayastheygetcloser to the weekend.Peoplecanbe groggy,slower, forgetfuland won’toperateat thesamelevel as asober colleague.

use.Whetherdoctorprescribedorillegally obtained,peopleshouldnotoperate vehicles orequipmentwhileusingopiates.

WaitikiLanding Houhora CoopersBeach Kaitaia Waipapa Kerikeri Opononi Kaikohe Kawakawa Dargaville

Matakohe Tutukaka Tikipunga Raumanga TownBasin Civiccarpark Pak'nSave

The Warehouse Alexander St Marsden Cove Waipu Mangawhai Kaiwaka