Owner/Driver #328

LIVESTOCK & RURAL John Beer
Diamonds in the rough
Road transport is shining bright and showing the
way amid the chaos of the coronavirus pandemic
ACCORDING to Henry Kissinger,
the famous US politician, a
diamond is just a piece of coal
that did well under pressure.
Who would have thought six
months ago that we would see
the current circumstances of
Covid-19 that we are now dealing with?
It’s funny isn’t it? The focus on showers
and toilets and food for truck drivers has
been both frustrating and fantastic. Many
of us could see the problem of access well
before the politicians and law makers, but
at least they got things addressed pretty
quickly so transport could keep the wheels
moving. There was even some really good
bipartisanship in solving the issues.
Many of you have said, and will say in
the future, that Covid-19 was a bit of a
blessing, because some places have toilets
and showers that sparkle like a brand-new
set of chrome rims. Thanks to cleaning
and sanitising and staff that take it
seriously and care about drivers, there are
service centres that are a pleasure to go
to. That and the lessening of traffic on the
roads and freeways; well it isn’t all bad!
What I’ve seen is that small grassroots
associations have their ear to the ground,
they respond quickly, they know the
issues and they get straight onto fixing
stuff without caring about who gets
the credit. For state livestock and rural
transporter associations like the Livestock
and Rural Transporters Association of
Victoria, our resources are small and
we are all operators except for our parttime
secretariats. But I will pay credit
to our colleagues in Western Australia,
South Australia, Queensland and
Victoria who did a power of work to help
smooth border processes, and to share
information widely to everyone, not just
their members.
Thanks to people like Peter Anderson
from the Victorian Transport Association,
Steve Shearer of the South Australian Road
Transport Association, Cam Dumesny
of the Western Roads Federation and
Gary Mahon of the Queensland Trucking
Association who have provided advice,
resources and advocacy that has helped
operators and drivers across the country.
They helped them get where they needed
to go, helped them navigate paperwork
and processes and helped them
understand the rules and getting things
fixed when it goes pear-shaped. Not all
those drivers realise what others have
done for them, but that’s the facts.
VITAL SUPPLY CHAIN
If I had a crystal ball, I wonder if it would
tell me that this time in our history
will show what we need to do to make
transport better. The general public
opinion of truck drivers is high right now,
but perhaps the link between the supply
chain and the availability of toilet paper
was needed to hammer that home!
It might also help that many aren’t
commuting in peak hour, as I suspect
JOHN BEER, with four
decades as an owneroperator
under his belt, is
currently vice president
of the ALRTA and the
LRTAV. In addition, John
is a past president and
life member of both
associations. He was the
first recipient (2015) of the
ALRTA McIver Award for
Outstanding Contribution
to the Livestock and Rural
Transport Industry, and
in 2016 was a finalist
in the ATA Awards for
Outstanding Contribution
to the Australian Trucking
Industry. John sat on the
ATA Council as the ownerdriver
representative from
2017 to 2019.
"This is not the time to
bring up old war stories."
the warm fuzzies for truck drivers might
evaporate as quickly as that pallet of toilet
paper in Aldi did a few months ago if we
once again see all those small vehicles
back on the road.
But the point is, people have been
reminded about how food and fibre, every
product, gets to them or gets to processers
and market. Like it or not, trucks are vital
to our economy and to our way of life.
The thought of trucks stopping was
enough to launch many Australians
to panic buy us close to a supply chain
collapse for weeks. And people have
recognised that truck drivers deserve a
meal, a shower and a clean toilet to allow
them to do their work.
PRAISE WHERE DUE
So how do we keep this going? Well, there
are some in our industry who have been
noisy, complaining about state border
restrictions, saying we should all park
up and make them take notice of all
our various grievances. Or say we just
shouldn’t have any rules at all right now.
I say no. You get what you give. If we
want to be taken seriously, if we want
Mr and Mrs Public on our side then we
present them with the facts, we do our
job and we show them what we do and
put up with.
There are pages where drivers have
posted good and bad photos of service
centres, with praise for good food and
service and clean facilities. Let’s give
praise where it’s due, and not forget
service centres have staff that are people
just like us. They don’t want to get sick
just like we don’t.
But we must stay on message. This is
not the time to bring up old war stories
and reminisce about battles fought
and lost. Transport is a diamond, made
stronger by pressure over many years. We
must be about preserving what we have
not tearing it down with threats and
complaints that are simply ridiculous.
Let’s work together, let’s argue about
the real problems without the politics
and partisan crap. We must keep showing
people that trucks and drivers keep our
country moving, keep us alive. Just like a
gemstone, let’s show all our positive and
fantastic facets to Australians so they
value us like they should while showing
them how well it’s done by professional
operators.
30 MAY 2020 ownerdriver.com.au