Top trucking issues for election campaign: ATA

The CEO of the Australian Trucking Association, Christopher Melham, has spelled out what he believes will be the key issues for the trucking industry in the 2016 election campaign now underway — namely the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal (RSRT) debate, practical measures to improve road safety and support for stronger trucking businesses.

Melham said the ATA would use the campaign period to call on political parties and candidates to confirm they would not re-establish the RSRT.

Parliament abolished the RSRT last month following a grassroots campaign by the trucking industry.

“The RSRT attempted to apply minimum freight rates to owner-drivers and family trucking businesses. The rates were driving these operators out of business without any real link to safety,” he said.

Melham added that the industry body would also urge political parties and candidates to support practical measures to improve road safety.

“As an industry, we’ve made great strides in improving road safety. Between 1982 and 2014, the rate of fatal articulated truck crashes fell by more than 75%, despite enormous growth in the number of trucks on our roads. But even one accident is too many, and the ATA wants to see more practical measures to improve safety,” he said.

The ATA intends to also focus on policies to support stronger trucking businesses.

“The trucking industry mainly consists of small businesses; they operate on tight margins. We want to see policies coming forward that will support these businesses in our industry,” Melham said.

A questionnaire sent by the industry body to political parties and candidates will soon go out, while later in the campaign, the ATA will issue state-by-state report cards about how the parties and candidates compare.

“As an industry association, it’s not our role to endorse political parties or candidates. What we can and should do, however, is to provide people in the industry with information about where the parties and candidates stand,” Melham added.

The ATA is an industry body that represents the Australian trucking industry, with members from state and sector trucking associations, logistics companies and businesses with expertise in truck technology, as well as many thousands of trucking businesses and workers, ranging from owner-drivers to large fleets.

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