Putting safety first A history of the Australian Trucking Association
Putting safety first A history of the Australian Trucking Association
Contents
Contents
4 5 6 10 28 42 60 70
Foreword Introduction Prologue One message, many voices
Chapter 1 Entering the modern world
Chapter 2 Ending the cowboy culture
Chapter 3 Defusing the powder keg
Chapter 4 Spreading the word
Chapter 5 Temporary to permanent
88 96 106 118 128 144 158 174
Chapter 6 A cleaner, safer industry
Chapter 7 Ten years on
Chapter 8 Colonising the ACT
Chapter 9 Getting technical
>> 3 Chapter 10 Breaking new ground
Chapter 11 Framing the future
Appendices Index
One message, many voices
I
It is often the case that those who change history are unaware of the implications of their actions. This was very much the case for the group of four trucking associations who met in an Ansett Airlines hangar at Sydney Airport on 16 November 1989, after a truck and bus crash near Grafton, NSW, had killed 21 people a month before. As the grizzly details of that crash emerged, the nation’s federal and state government transport industry regulators realised they were sitting on a time bomb. It was imperative they reined in a trucking industry that appeared to be out of control.
Prologue
Each of those attending represented a key road
Externally, the industry was under close scrutiny from
transport industry organisation, and most arrived with
regulators, particularly following the Grafton truck and
no clear idea about how the meeting should progress.
bus crash in October 1989.
Yet they all agreed the industry was under threat and that something had to be done to save it. The meeting
At the same time, the national Australian Road Transport
had been called by Peter Rocke, a member of the
Federation, the long established framework that united
road transport establishment and president of the
the state employer associations (which focused largely
Australian Road Transport Federation, following a
on industrial relations issues) was fragmenting in the
number of conversations principally with Kathy
face of challenges from governments, the Transport
Robertson, executive director of the Long Distance
Workers Union and smaller trucking firms dissatisfied
Road Transport Association, Paul Gaynor, executive
with the direction the industry leadership was taking.
director of the National Transport Federation, and Bruce McIver, then president of the Australian Livestock
These pressures were recognised by Peter Rocke and
Transporters Association.
evidenced by the then recent formation of the National Transport Federation and the Australian Livestock
In the late 1980s, the Australian road transport industry
Transporters Association, and the strengthening voice
was subject to intense external and internal pressures.
of the Long Distance Road Transport Association.
>> 7
Chapter 1 Entering the modern world
Putting safety first
Entering the modern world
T 12 <<
To understand what was happening in those hectic
drivers, and then between the truckies themselves.
few months in late 1989 and early 1990, it is necessary to
However, after that first, tense day, the truckies clarified
look at the way the industry was growing, operating and
the issues and published a set of demands that read
being policed at that time. With the benefit of hindsight,
like virtually every other wish list compiled by the road
it is possible to see trends appearing, warnings being
transport industry. As well as the usual fare, such as
ignored and the inevitability of a series of calamities like
improved rates, difficulties with union membership
the Grafton truck and bus crash occurring.
and inadequate back-loading rates, it included specific demands about gross combination mass (GCM) rules,
The 1979 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Razorback Blockadeâ&#x20AC;? forced the Australian
road tax and backdated prosecutions for failure to
trucking industry to begin moving into the modern
pay it. It called for uniform weights and dimensions
world. This seminal event commenced when a small
regulations across Australia, which has been a recurring
group of truckies blocked the Hume Highway at
theme ever since.
Razorback between Camden and Picton, just south of Sydney. The five men who initiated it, Colin Bird, Harry Grimson, Jack Hibburt, Ted Stevens and Spencer Watling, took the law into their own hands and parked their trucks across the road. When they began their protest, these guys didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even have a list of demands. So, as news of their actions broke, the media arrived and politicians became involved, their lack of a coherent agenda led to confusion, and things soon turned ugly. As other trucks joined this Hume Highway blockade, violence broke out between the police and the truck
<< The media arrived, politicians became involved, their lack of a coherent agenda led to confusion, and things soon turned ugly. >>
Attempts by the New South Wales government to
ABOVE The 1979 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Razorback Blockadeâ&#x20AC;? on the Hume Highway just
introduce emergency legislation and remove the
south of Sydney dragged the Australian trucking industry into the
trucks from the blockade followed quickly. However,
late 20th century.
the government held off using its new anti-blockade powers, and the situation was further defused when finance companies were convinced to grant a moratorium on the repossession of trucks for which their owners were behind in their lease payments. legislation at state and federal levels, and new ways Negotiations continued, and eventually a form of
that governments could work with the industry to
compromise was reached. Victoria, South Australia and
keep up with the rapid changes occurring in road
Queensland all agreed to drop the Road Maintenance
transport. State and federal governments realised
Tax, increase GCM to 38 tonnes and set up an inquiry
how powerful the trucking industry could be, and
into freight rates. Eventually, then NSW premier Neville
how dependent the growing Australian economy was
Wran agreed to match those promises and the blockade
on this large constituency of owner-drivers and small
broke up on its ninth day.
haulage companies. Much to the chagrin of many of the owner-drivers involved in the blockade, the Road
Pivotal role in economy
Maintenance Tax was ultimately replaced with an
The disruption initiated the development of new
increase in fuel excise.
>> 13
Putting safety first
After sponsoring an inquiry into the industry in 1983, the
arrangements give operators a positive financial
federal government introduced what it called its “fast
inducement to pit themselves against the system, and
track package” aimed at introducing a national
this has resulted in an invitation to lawlessness that
regulatory framework for the road transport industry.
tarnished the reputation of the entire industry. For any
The initial plan included introducing graduated driver
driver who feels no moral compunction to obey traffic
licensing, increasing the national speed limit for trucks
laws, it is rational to break regulations whenever the
and initiating the Federal Interstate Registration Scheme.
expected costs of being caught are less than the financial benefits of arriving earlier, doing more trips,
In 1984, the National Road Freight Industry Inquiry
speeding, overloading or exceeding driving hour limits.
was launched by Peter Morris, the newly appointed
The rate at which regulations are broken suggests
transport minister in the Hawke Labor Government.
productivity benefits often exceed expected costs.”
In what was to prove a significant step, he appointed a senior civil servant Robert Gunning as secretary of
Hard road to national
the inquiry. Five years later, Robert would attend that
uniformity
seminal ATA foundation meeting in the Ansett Hangar
In the early 1980s, some unions vigorously sought
as executive director of the ALTA.
improvements in pay and conditions for their members and took industrial action against any operators they
14 <<
The inquiry found that “it is accepted without real
believed were breaching the award or employing
comment in the industry that the laws governing
non-union members. This often resulted in black
driving hours are being largely ignored, and the major
bans being declared, which led, in turn, to hearings
enforcement tool in the area of driving hours, the
before the Industrial Relations Commission. Industry
logbook, is largely falsified”. It went on to conclude:
associations were working predominantly in isolation from each other, resulting in governments being
“Changing safety regulations will not improve the
lobbied by a fragmented transport industry with
industry’s safety performance significantly unless it is
varying priorities, and the need for nationally uniform
accompanied by stricter enforcement. The current
regulations being ignored.
Fiction >>
Fact >>
Governments could force drivers to
Drivers continued to drive further distances and
obey the laws governing driving hours
longer hours than legally permitted by falsifying
by making it mandatory for them to
their logbooks and playing any other ruse that
keep logbooks detailing exactly when
came to hand. For them, the financial benefits of
and where they drove their trucks.
doing so made the risk of capture worthwhile.
Chapter 1 >> Entering the modern world
<< Changing safety regulations will not improve the industry’s safety performance significantly unless it is accompanied by stricter enforcement. . . . The rate at which regulations are broken suggests productivity benefits often exceed expected costs. >>
In what would prove to be a turning event, major road
Industry magazine Truckin’ Life reported the case of a
transport companies agreed to work with the Transport
truck driver who, at 40 years of age, had no history of
Workers Union to fund an industry superannuation
heart problems, but was rushed into hospital suffering
scheme which would increase costs in the short run,
from a heart attack. Doctors found that he had taken
and in the longer term open the way for a substantial
450mg of ephedrine in the previous 24 hours. This was
rewriting of the balance of power between the union
by no means an uncommon occurrence, and the case
and the major employers. By and large, medium and
was widely cited to illustrate the growing problem of
smaller road transport businesses felt locked out of
drug use within the trucking industry.
this process and, aside from the intensely debated controversies of that time, one lasting consequence was
“Drivers didn’t worry about driving hours, and fatigue
the establishment of the National Transport Federation,
was not thought to be an issue within the industry,”
initially by a group of regional operators, and the
according to Peter Rocke. “On the main routes, such as
subsequent strengthening of the well-established Long
Melbourne to Sydney, there was a considerable amount
Distance Road Transport Association and the newly
of truth in the public’s perception of the dangerous
founded Australian Livestock Transporters Association.
truck operations. The ‘bitumen Boeings’ were souped up, many with high-speed diffs, especially the rigid
In the turmoil which followed, governments, politicians
overnighters. They were very, very fast. A lot of them
and bureaucrats found it difficult to comprehend the
were company-owned vehicles. If there was any
industry view on critical questions and the industry
policing, it never seemed to make any difference.
was certainly seen to be of little electoral consequence. Meanwhile, the industry associations and unions
“I know that we had high speed rigid vehicles in our
continued to skirmish and regard each other with
fleet at Mayne Nickless working for the overnight
varying degrees of disdain and acrimony. But out on
services we ran,” said Rocke. “Fortunately, the number
the road, the trauma of road fatalities involving heavy
of accidents in which they were involved was minimal,
vehicles continued. In Cairns on 4 February 1987, eight
probably because the drivers were relatively well looked
senior school students lost their lives in a bus and
after. I guess that didn’t happen for every driver. Express
truck accident. In the aftermath, questions were raised
freight was the most profitable part of the industry for
about safety standards in the transport industry and
a long time. It made a lot of profit because a lot of the
safety priorities in the construction of trucks and buses.
customers didn’t understand the costs involved.”
>> 15
Putting safety first
16 <<
ABOVE Rural freight operators had long felt under-represented.
The NTF was formed by a group of VRTA members who
The formation of the NTF gave them an opportunity to
had been unable to convince the VRTA to apply for a
represent themselves.
variation in the TWU interstate drivers’ award. They laid the blame for this decision at the feet of the VRTA’s executive director Phil Lovel, which may explain why Lovel vigorously opposed the VRTA becoming an RTIF member alongside the NTF
Arranging the building blocks By 1987, many of the issues destined to shake the future
The NTF’s CEO was an abrasive young advocate,
of the road transport industry were ready to explode.
Paul Gaynor, who had represented the Confectionery
The year had started with a major dispute between the
Industry Association in an infamous industrial case
Transport Workers Union and truck operators over the
known as the Dollar Sweets dispute. After the dispute
TWU’s superannuation scheme. Earlier, a series of
had been settled, Gaynor was approached by Haset
disputes involving the unions and the industry award had
Sali, a solicitor from Shepparton, Victoria, telling him
precipitated the formation of a breakaway group in the
Haset’s brother, Sam Sali, wanted to start a new
Goulburn Valley, which led in turn to the formation of
transport industry association, the National Transport
the National Transport Federation (NTF) in October 1986.
Federation (NTF).
Chapter 1 >> Entering the modern world
Haset Sali hoped to learn something from what had
“It was obvious these carriers weren’t paying the award
been achieved by Gaynor in the Dollar Sweets affair,
rate, because if they were, they couldn’t have afforded
but ended up inviting him to help found the NTF.
to do the work they did at the prices they were being paid. When we said we were going to turn this award on
“There were four initial members, Fred Borg, Sam Sali,
its head, we upset the associations. There was a lot of
Doug Triese and Coz Roccisano, all from Shepparton,”
up-front, in-your-face friction. I can remember arriving
Gaynor said. “But the NTF grew to 950 members in four
at compulsory Industrial Commission meetings, only
years. Initially the NTF was all about industrial relations.
to have these guys hurling abuse at me until I had to
In those days I would have to deal with at least half a
leave the room.”
dozen black bans and industrial disputes a week. The union was using the award as a blackmailing vehicle.
Bunker Freight Lines had been growing fast during the
Every Friday I would expect union officials to be outside
1980s, picking up line-haul contracts from the larger
one of the large loading depots in Melbourne turning
freight forwarding companies. Ron Bunker had grown
away trucks who could not show union tickets.
the business out of a family company, which he had purchased. The work paid well and the trucks ran fast.
“I had to go down there to remind the union officials of their rights and obligations. It was an ongoing battle.
“The industry associations were mostly run by the freight
The issue of the Interstate Drivers Award went on for
forwarders who needed the association’s protection
seven years. After a couple of years, once the issue of
because they were based in the major cities and were
safety and other issues had become apparent, we
picked on by the unions. I was welcome to join the
started to move into different areas.”
association and pay my fees, but having any input was an absolute no-no. Both the unions and the freight
The regional long-distance carriers, who were growing
forwarders ignored the interstate drivers’ wages.
quickly at that time, felt under-represented. Gaynor said he found little representation outside the cities for
“It got to the point where the official interstate drivers
anyone other than livestock carriers. Large city carriers
wages were in fairyland. There was a standoff between
were uninterested in what was going on in the regions.
the union and us. It all started to get too difficult, so
The formation of the NTF, along with increased union
we decided to join the NTF.”
activism, motivated a lot of rural freight operators to get involved.
As the CEO of the NTF, Gaynor focused mainly on industrial relations issues affecting his membership,
“We were a fledgling organisation, and I was young
but he was also ruffling feathers by making abrasive
and naive, I guess,” Gaynor said. “Industrial relations
comments to the media.
kicked it off, but there was a huge void in the industry. In our industrial disputes we received as much trouble
“The NTF was formed because other groups representing
from the state road transport associations as we did
employers, or operators, didn’t really seem to be doing a
from the union.
very good job. [But] at least they were doing it in a way
>> 17
Putting safety first
that the Shepparton operators considered adequate,”
An important body in the political scene of the time was
Gaynor said in an interview published around that time
the Interstate Commission, which had been reinstated
by Truckin’ Life.
in 1980 to inquire into transport issues arising from Australia’s federal structure. Following Bob Hawke’s
Opportunistic attacks on
election as prime minister, the Interstate Commission
the industry
had been revitalised and charged with investigating
The issue of continuing deaths on the highways was
all matters relating to interstate transport.
gaining momentum and some politicians were starting to use the road safety message and attacks upon an
A meeting of the Transport Industry Advisory Council
irresponsible transport industry to get column inches.
at the end of 1986 had seen the states yet again dismiss
A Truckin’ Life editorial talked about the “politicisation”
the idea of a uniform weight limit throughout Australia.
of road safety and political doubletalk.
At the time, a GCM of 38 tonnes was the legal limit in New South Wales, the ACT and Victoria, while in
“Despite the large amount of research data
Queensland and Tasmania it was 41 tonnes, and in
obtained, both on the Hume Highway and overseas,
Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern
uniform speed limits were rejected by some state
Territory it was 42.5 tonnes. LDRTA executive director
governments, which sounded the death knell
Kathy Robertson described the decision as “a move
for uniform state heavy transport laws,” said the
that’s put the industry back 20 years”.
January 1987 Truckin’ Life editorial. “Road safety
18 <<
was conveniently thrown out the window and into
By the beginning of 1988, all of the states had agreed
the face of the various elements of the sensational
to a uniform 100kph speed limit for trucks throughout
media who would no doubt go to town on the
Australia as of 1 July that year. Ministers in the eastern
‘Killer truckers go 100 clicks’ angle.”
states agreed to creating more uniformity in the
<< On 1 July 1988, Federal Interstate Registration Scheme annual charges increased to $1000 per prime mover, plus $250 for each trailer. If the vehicle operated up to 42.5 tonnes, the charge was increased to $3135. A week later, NSW introduced even higher charges, raising the charge for a seven-axle, 55.5 tonne B-double to $13,390. On 11 July, a group of owner-drivers blockaded the Hume Highway at Yass. The action was led by Wally Gallas, Rob Jones, John Heron, Anthony Wood, Wayne Collinge and Graham ‘Mouse’ Tomkins, all of them ownerdrivers. As a result, around Yass, the Hume Highway ground to a halt. >>
Chapter 1 >> Entering the modern world
logbook rules and setting a maximum number of daily driving hours. Ministers also called on the road freight industry to demonstrate a responsible attitude to the introduction of the new package. In the courts, the NTF was fighting a rearguard action to vary the Transport (Interstate Drivers) Consolidated Award to protect its members from possible legal action. A legal argument ensued between the NTF, the
<< Road safety was conveniently thrown out the window and into the face of various elements of the sensational media who would no doubt go to town. >>
Australian Road Transport Industrial Organisation and the LDRTA about submissions required by the court. By the time the new rules were introduced on 1 July
and several prominent members of the NTF had a
1988, NSW had decided to increase maximum GVM
considerable number of drivers involved.
for a semi to 42.5 tonnes and allow B-doubles to be introduced. At 23 metres in length, B-doubles were
While the ARTF and the LDRTA did not support the
allowed to run at a GCM of 59 tonnes. Increases in
action, they could not be convinced to publicly oppose
GCM at the time escalated pressure from the states
the blockade. They saw it as a chance for them to get
to lift registration charges to pay for the increase in
into a room with a minister under pressure and to push
road wear believed to be caused by trucks.
some of the issues on their agenda. At the same time, the federal government was uneasy about dealing with
As of 1 July, the Federal Interstate Registration Scheme
groups like the NTF, which were known to be volatile.
annual charges increased to $1000 per prime mover, plus $250 for each trailer. If the vehicle operated up to
At a joint meeting on 14 July arranged by Robert
42.5 tonnes, the charge was increased to $3135. A week
Gunning between the then federal minister for
later, NSW introduced even higher charges, raising the
transport and communications, Gareth Evans, ARTF
charge for a seven-axle, 55.5 tonne B-double to $13,390.
representatives Peter Rocke and Justin Gamble, LDRTA executive director Kathy Robertson, and TWU federal
An industry-changing event
secretary Ivan Hodgson, an agreement was negotiated
At around 9pm on 11 July 1988, a group of owner-
and a number of commitments were made by the
drivers blockaded the Hume Highway at Yass. The
minister. The agreement called for:
action was led by six owner-drivers: Wally Gallas,
>> Federal Interstate Registration Scheme fees to
Rob Jones, John Heron, Anthony Wood, Wayne Collinge
be frozen until the following year and be paid
and Graham â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Mouseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Tomkins. Around Yass, the Hume
in instalments
Highway ground to a halt. The NTF was not directly involved in the dispute, but its CEO, Paul Gaynor, spent a lot of time on the ground during the blockade,
>> consultation to occur prior to any further registration fee rises >> discussion on all other relevant matters.
>> 19
Putting safety first
Unfortunately, not all of the blockaders got the message
In another sense, the blockade was significant
about these concessions.
historically. It politicised that generation of truck owners and drivers, causing them to get involved
During the Yass Blockade, the government was having
with politicians and legislators for the first time.
formal discussions with the ARTF and the LDRTA while it was also talking directly to the blockaders and Ron
New power-brokers
Finemore got involved in the frontline negotiations. This
Ron Finemore had been involved in industry/
two-tier situation demonstrated the gap between the
government debates since 1974. In 1988, his company
grass roots of the industry and their representatives.
was growing strongly and he had a very high profile. Being appointed to the negotiating team made him
“I was asked by the NTF board to go up to Yass and try
an important cog in the machinery required to grind
and resolve the situation. We didn’t support it, but a lot
out a solution.
of our trucks had been stopped by it,” Paul Gaynor said. “Eventually, I got together with Ron Finemore and a couple of others and we met Andrew Higginson to explain that the communiqués they were issuing were not being understood by the blockaders. We said they needed to be sent back and written in layman’s terms. The minister eventually reworded them and Ron took them back to Yass.”
20 << The mass meeting was presented with the undertakings from the minister. Late in the evening of 15 July, the blockade was ended and the trucks began to roll again. In one sense, this blockade at Yass was another failure. Some changes would be made and some improvements secured, but the underlying problems of the road transport industry and the way it was regulated and run would remain.
RIGHT Some politicians saw the continuing deaths on the nation’s highways as an opportunity for them to get column inches by flogging the road safety message.
Chapter 1 >> Entering the modern world
An industry in disarray
<< In the first nine months of 1988, the number of articulated vehicles involved in fatal crashes increased by 113 per cent. >>
The blockade also caused a great deal of uncertainty and highlighted the absence of united industry leadership. One of the leaders of the blockade, Robert Jones, came away from the events of that July determined to set up yet another industry organisation, an association of owner-drivers to be called the Teamsters Federation.
Another participant in the discussions in Canberra,
The discussions held by Jones in the weeks after the
Andrew Higginson, was also to feature in this history
blockade provoked plenty of truck-stop talk and some
in a significant way. Higginson formed part of the team
consternation in the NTF. This new association did
supporting senator Gareth Evans in the discussions
not need to have its style cramped by the formation
with the drivers’ committee from the blockade.
of a similar radical group.
“I was still in the Department of Transport when the
The blockade also had the effect of reinvigorating the
Yass Blockade happened in 1988,” Higginson recalled.
older, more conservative industry groupings. The ARTF,
“My division head at the time, Bill Upton, rang and said
LDRTA and the TWU had all been involved in discussions
there was a blockade and we were going to Yass. I spent
with transport minister Gareth Evans, and had attempted
the next four days out at Yass acting as a go-between
to bring a less belligerent attitude to the table when
between the blockaders and the government. That’s
dealing with politicians.
when I met a whole load of industry characters. Yass is probably where I got my passion for helping
These groups now realised one of the causes of the
people in the trucking industry,” he said. “I saw all
blockade was the fact that rank-and-file truck drivers and
of these hardworking people being hard done by. They
owner-drivers were dissatisfied with the representation
were trying to get their problems resolved, but the
they were receiving from them. Their members felt
government was building restrictions around them and
they had no choice but to go outside the law in order
nothing was moving forward. I had an empathy with
to have their voices heard.
hard working people. They are good people, and no one was actually helping them get their act together.
The ongoing problems within the organisations became evident a couple of months after the blockade when
“After this, when Jack Evans, who had formed Resolution,
the LDRTA, the NSW RTA and the TWU threatened to
and Robert Gunning, who was a Resolution partner and
resign from the New South Wales Road Transport
acting as executive director of the Australian Livestock
Industry Council if the NTF executive director, Paul
Transporters’ Association, encouraged me to join the
Gaynor, accepted NSW transport minister Bruce Baird’s
fray, I jumped at the opportunity.”
invitation to join the organisation.
>> 21
Putting safety first
<< It is ludicrous for an award to be in place when 95 per cent of its respondents do not, cannot and should not pay the award rate. >> Paul Gaynor, interviewed in Truckin’ Life
In September 1988, at a meeting of the Transport
Tragedy struck that September when one of the original
Industry Advisory Council called in response to the
Yass blockaders, John Heron, died in a crash in his Ford
disruptions caused by the blockade, some concessions
Louisville. His vehicle was hit by another truck travelling
were made. This meeting was the first outing for the
in the opposite direction, which had swerved to avoid
recently appointed minister for land transport and
yet another truck braking suddenly to avoid hitting a car
shipping, Bob Brown, who was to figure in key industry
making a U-turn.
developments throughout the following years. The situation was exposing inadequacies at
22 <<
As had happened so often in the past, the meeting
government and industry association levels that had
called on state and federal ministers to take actions they
been evident for some time. The industry was growing
were unable to perform. Nonetheless, the ministers did
quickly in the absence of proper regulatory control,
respond by promising:
and suffering from mixed messages emanating from a
>> uniform vehicle technical regulations across the
plethora of competing industry associations. Various
states and territories
industry representatives were concentrating on their
>> uniform mass limits and vehicle dimension rules
own small spheres of influence without looking at the
>> uniform enforcement procedures and driver
bigger picture.
licensing arrangements >> to eliminate the permit system where possible.
“As operators, we were interested in industrial relations issues, interstate awards, etcetera, and we would get
These were fine and lofty undertakings, but the reality
involved in them, but as a group,” Denis Robertson
of state-by-state regulation meant they were doomed.
recalls. “We were also interested in subjects like the quality of the roads, getting the weights and measures
Confusion reigned again when the newly formed
regulations right, and all those practical things we felt
Teamsters attempted a nationwide stoppage on
needed to be done.
26 September. The move was widely opposed by the other industry organisations, with the NTF threatening
“We wanted to get the regulators to do a cost-benefit
legal action if its members were prevented “from
analysis when introducing new rules. At that time,
fulfilling their contractual obligations in delivering
whenever they introduced a new regulation or
freight consigned”.
requirement it would cost us more money.”
Chapter 1 >> Entering the modern world
Living in different worlds
By the end of 1988, further warnings and reminders of
After the publication of the latest award for interstate
the ongoing problems in the road transport industry
drivers in 1989, following two-and-a-half years of
had come to light. In the first nine months of 1988, the
negotiation in the Arbitration Commission, the NTF set
number of articulated vehicles involved in fatal crashes
to work to vary it. The huge gulf between the awards
increased by 113 per cent. This coincided with statistics
negotiated between the TWU and the larger companies
being released about speeding trucks, showing a large
that were members of the ARTF, and those being paid
proportion were travelling well in excess of 100kph,
by the majority of operators in Australia, had become
especially in the early hours of the morning. The study
blazingly apparent.
carried out on the Hume Highway at Berrima between 1986 and 1988 had found that 85 per cent of trucks were
“It is ludicrous for an award to be in place when 95
averaging 103kph during the day and 116kph at night.
per cent of its respondents do not, cannot and should not pay the award rate,” said Paul Gaynor of the
Early in 1989, owner operator Bob McMillan used his
situation in an interview with Truckin’ Life magazine.
column in Truckin’ Life magazine to propose the
“The award gives rise to an average wage rate of 23
formation of a national peak body to represent the entire
cents per kilometre, but the industry pays on average
industry and lobby on the major issues affecting it.
16 cents per kilometre. The difference is $13,100 per
Many involved in the wrangles between the different
employee per year.”
associations agreed with his sentiments. In a roadside survey conducted by the magazine, owner-drivers and drivers expressed dissatisfaction with the TWU, the
Myth >> According to the press and some of the
LDRTA and the newly formed Teamsters. By contrast, NTF CEO Paul Gaynor was seen by some of those surveyed to be an effective representative of the industry.
more opportunistic members of various governments around the nation, the blame
Many factors at work
for the high road toll in 1988 lay at the feet
The very high road toll in this period was not simply
of irresponsible truck operators.
a result of irresponsible truck operators. There were other factors involved. Nineteen eighty-eight was an extremely busy year on the roads of Australia. It was the
Reality >> In its bicentennial year, Australia faced the biggest freight task in its history and some
bicentennial year, with celebrations happening around the country. In Brisbane, the World Expo was taking place, and with it came the biggest freight task the nation had ever experienced. In addition, the weather
of the worst weather in recent times. As a
was particularly bad, with a lot of rain causing problems
result, the death figures were likely to be
and increasing risks on the road. As a result, the road
higher than during other periods.
death figures for 1988 may have been higher than they otherwise would.
>> 23
Putting safety first
In that era, industry associations were nearly all
carting hanging meat. This meant we had our share of
industrial relations-based, which reflected the way the
spills, but it also meant we didn’t know what the weight
system worked at that time. If there were problems to
was until we got to the other end. There was a lot of
be resolved, they would be worked out through the
guesstimation on weight. I always remember reading
industrial system.
an article as a boy about Ansett Freight Express and how they ran their freight company like an airline. They
A lack of sophistication and a focus on simply getting
had a very sophisticated maintenance regime where
the task done was prevalent throughout all of the
wheel bearings were replaced after a certain number
trucking industry companies. Earlier in the century, the
of kilometres, etcetera. That always stuck in my mind,
state governments had protected their rail monopolies
so we were always trying to do things that would make
by introducing a strict licensing system limiting the
our job just that little bit safer or easier.
amount of freight transported by road. These controls were gradually loosened by a series of court cases
“In 1979, I lost my brother in a truck accident. He wasn’t
similar to Hughes and Vale v NSW (1954). The industry
working for me at the time. He wasn’t doing anything
had finally worked its way around these original rail
illegal. It was seven o’clock at night and to this day we
regulations and was operating in an almost unfettered
still don’t know what happened. He was 26 at the time,
manner. An ability to remain focused may have been
too young. Seeing anyone lose their life is a tragedy,
the road transport industry’s primary strength, but it
but when it comes so close to home it makes you think.
was also a weakness. Some operators chose to ignore
I wanted to know if there was more we could do to
the regulations governing their work.
sort out these sorts of things. Of course, there were the
24 <<
cowboys and we all knew who they were. The trick was Denis Robertson had run a small company of around
not to be branded with them.
five trucks in the 1960s and ‘70s, growing it to a fleet of 10 by the early 1980s. By the mid-80s, the Roadmaster
“We had got rid of the Road Maintenance Tax following
Haulage fleet had grown to about 20 trailers, with just
the 1979 Razorback blockade, but it came back at us by
four prime movers. Contractors supplied the other prime
1982 and state and federal governments got the money
movers required.
in a different way. I got involved around that time.”
“I certainly liked the industry, but I was concerned about
Locking horns with the TWU
some of the things going on within it,” says Robertson.
One of the Roadmaster contracts at that period
“I can probably say I am ashamed of some of the things
involved working out of the Dorrigo abattoir just
that we asked people to do and that we did. Fortunately,
south of Coffs Harbour. The dominant road transport
nobody got hurt or killed as a result. It was a matter of
operation in this area was Lindsay Brothers, as it is
‘just do your best and try and get there’ in those days.
today. As Robertson got to know Tom Lindsay, he was encouraged to join an industry association. This
“It was pretty much open slather to a large degree, and
led to Robertson joining the New South Wales Road
one of the major difficulties we faced resulted from us
Transport Association later that year.
NSW Traffic Accidents - selected details
Number of fatal accidents involving alcohol
Speed related No fault – articulated vehicle
1986
Number of single vehicle articulated truck accidents
61%
1987 1988
25%
Driver related not speed
13%
Number of single vehicle fatal accidents Study of 16 fatal accidents involving articulated vehicles
Number of fatal accidents involving articulated trucks Total number of fatal accidents Articulated Trucks
Number of occupants of articulated trucks killed
Unspecified
22.9%
Fatigue 0.6% Speed 2.4% Alcohol 1.5%
Total number killed in accidents involving articulated trucks
Speed
27.3%
Fatigue
16.8%
Alcohol
28.6%
Total number killed NSW Road Transport Association
0
200
400
600
“It became very obvious to me they were too close to the union,” Robertson said. “It’s not that I am particularly against unions, but they were advocating
800
1000
1200
Causes of fatal road crashes – NSW 1988
<< Only 4.5 per cent of fatalities on NSW roads in 1988 were caused by articulated trucks. >>
we use the TWU superannuation scheme and not any other. If an operator didn’t use the TWU superannuation scheme, they would put a black ban on the company. I wasn’t comfortable with that and there was a movement against it, and the Long Distance Road Transport Association was part of this resistance. They
their own agenda. Kathy Robertson (no relation), then
called some public meetings and David Pierce, of John
executive director of the LDRTA, telephoned Robertson
L Pierce, was at the forefront of taking on the TWU.”
around this time and asked if she could meet him. As a result of their meeting, Robertson joined the LDRTA.
At the time, the NSW RTA was dominated by the big four transport companies: Ansett, TNT, Brambles and
“At that time, the LDRTA was a really good little group
Mayne Nickless. Robertson discovered that activity in
of operators and Kathy Robertson was a good advocate,”
the refrigerated division, of which he was a member,
Robertson said. “Her primary interest was in industrial
was largely ignored, as the big companies followed
relations cases.”
>> 25
Putting safety first
Three days after this meeting, an accident involving a truck travelling on the Hume Highway at 120kph, in the rain, killed six people. In the aftermath, a Federal Transport Department spokesperson was quoted as saying, “All that work to get the states to agree on a uniform package is likely to go down the drain.” By August 1989, the various safety initiatives were being discussed and argued over. The month also saw the second NTF conference, which was reported to have been the largest in history of the road freight transport industry to that time. Truck speed was again high on the agenda, with members supporting a motion calling for trucks not fitted with a speed-limiting device to be issued with a defect notice. The Australian Livestock Transporters Association had introduced compulsory truck-speed limiters to the national debate some months earlier.
26 <<
<< In short, we are faced, in 1989, with an industry which is correctly perceived by many people as being out of control. >>
Meanwhile, the death toll continued to rise. A 45km stretch of the Hume Highway saw 23 lives lost in seven accidents in the first six months of 1989. These were not all trucking related, but trucks were implicated in many of them. Then NSW transport minister Bruce Baird appeared on TV’s 7.30 Report and Good Morning Australia talking about 70 per cent of trucks travelling the Hume exceeding 100kph and supporting the introduction of compulsory tachographs to monitor
Highway safety
truck speed.
Some progress was being made on the safety front, and at the Transport Industry Advisory Council
StaySafe, NSW’s Joint Standing Committee on Road
meeting in March 1989, a draft code of safety conduct
Safety, had come to the conclusion that “blatant
was presented by the LDRTA, ARTF and the TWU
risk-taking by heavy vehicle drivers terrifies other
for the minister’s consideration. It also became clear
motorists on our major highways every day”. It
at this meeting that some states were considering
also stated, “In short, we are faced, in 1989, with an
reducing the 100kph speed limit for trucks and
industry which is correctly perceived by many people
introducing tachographs.
as being out of control.”
Chapter 1 >> Entering the modern world
The ARTF sponsored a survey into heavy vehicle
If nothing else, these results indicated an industry living
speeds and trip times by Dr Jane Hendtlass. Truck
well outside the rules. Speed limits were routinely
speeds were measured by a hidden speed-radar, and
exceeded by a high percentage of trucks. The records
observers monitored rest behaviour in truck stops
in logbooks were inaccurate, and a third of the drivers
along the way.
surveyed werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even recording the breaks they took. The regulations werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t doing the job they had been
Further along the Western Highway from the site of
designed to do.
the survey, a police checkpoint stopped trucks and recorded their details.
The evidence was mounting. The industry was getting bogged down in internal squabbles, and the road toll was
The survey was underway at the time the Grafton truck
continuing to rise. But all of this safety-orientated activity
and bus crash occurred, whereupon the surveyors were
was brought into much sharper focus early one morning
asked to produce an interim report using the data they
on the Pacific Highway a few kilometres north of Grafton,
had collected to bring some real figures to bear on the
when that southbound truck collided head-on with a
emotional discussions taking place at that time.
northbound coach and 21 people lost their lives.
The survey found that: >> 6 per cent of trucks at night travelled closer to each other than the legal distance >> between 1 and 6 per cent of long vehicles exceeded the speed limit by more than 10kph >> most trucks travelled at between 96kph & 110kph, although speeds up to 138kph were observed >> average truck speeds increased later in the night >> 37 per cent of trucks stopped at one of the main truck stops on the route >> 90 per cent of them had their logbooks checked >> on average, trucks stopped at truck stops for no more than 48 minutes >> trucks that travelled faster through the speed checks tended to spend longer at the truck stops >> 66 per cent of the drivers surveyed had completed their logbooks inaccurately >> up to 33 per cent of drivers who had stopped at the truck stop did not record the stop in their logbooks >> up to 30 per cent greatly overestimated their rest period.
>> 27
Chapter 2 Ending the cowboy culture
Putting safety first
Ending the cowboy culture
W 30 <<
When the driver of that coach saw the semitrailer
Further reports in The Courier Mail quoted police saying
heading straight for him on his side of the road, he took
the driver of the truck had been fined $30 as he had
evasive action, but could not get the coach out of the
travelled north to Brisbane, through Lismore, the
way in time. The truck hit the right hand side of the bus,
previous day for failing to show his logbook, committing
causing death and mayhem as it tore through its interior.
a minor speeding offence and driving on bald tyres. David Hutchins, the truck driver, was also reported to
The coach was carrying 45 passengers and the truck
have driven a load south from Brisbane to Sydney on
was loaded with tinned fruit juice. The accident became
the day before.
known as the Grafton Bus Crash and, at the time, was the worst in Australian road transport history. In addition
Hutchins worked for a small trucking company based
to the 21 people who died, a further 22 were injured.
in Greenbank, Brisbane, run by John Bartusch. He was 34 years old and had moved to Queensland from
Senior Constable Grant Eastes was quoted in The Courier
Greensborough in Victoria to start work with Bartusch
Mail describing the scene that greeted him when he
just four weeks previously. The truck, an International
arrived at 6.30am.
S-line, was hauling a trailer owned by JP Transport loaded with Golden Circle canned fruit on a TNT contract.
“I saw a mangled wreck of twisted metal, the bus, and bodies side-by-side in a temporary morgue,” he said.
After the initial reaction of horror to the appalling
“Most of the injured had been taken away but it took
accident, the political response to the disaster was swift.
a while for some of the bodies to be freed from the
The New South Wales transport minister of the time,
wreckage. It appeared quite early that the semitrailer had
Bruce Baird, called for the immediate introduction of
veered into the path of the bus, but investigations will
speed limiters and tachographs on heavy vehicles.
continue and are likely to take weeks, possibly months.”
He urged the federal government to “stop dragging
its heels” and said the “cowboy culture” on the roads
ABOVE The Grafton Bus Crash – between a coach carrying 45
had to be stopped.
passengers and a truck loaded with fruit juice – claimed 21 lives and was the worst accident in Australian road transport history to that time.
Speed limiters and tachographs Over the following few days, two more truck accidents killed a further four people, three in Bathurst, NSW, and another in Batlow in the south of the state. The federal
A report in The Courier Mail a week after the crash
government and its then transport minister, Bob Brown,
quoted the president of the ARTF, Peter Rocke,
were under pressure to act quickly to curb the worst
supporting the call for speed limiters. He was
excesses of the road transport industry.
supported, in turn, by NTF chairman Haset Sali and ALTA president Bruce McIver.
Five days after the crash, the government announced a plan mandating compulsory speed limiters in new
“The fitting of speed limiters is the central theme of
trucks and the introduction of compulsory tachographs
a package of measures the industry has developed to
if the heavy vehicle accident death toll in New South
directly tackle the major road safety concerns relating
Wales did not decrease by 50 per cent in the next
to heavy vehicle operations,” Rocke was reported to
12 months. It also issued a demand for the death toll
have said. “Australia cannot afford to have an unsafe,
in the other states to be cut by at least 25 per cent.
inadequate road system.”
>> 31
Putting safety first
Less than a week after the accident, the subject of drug
Answering talk-back radio
use also reared its ugly head, with the Australian Medical
Issues were stirred up by an interview of the LDRTA’s
Association calling for random testing for pep pills. In
Kathy Robertson on radio 3DO’s AM breakfast show
the weeks after the Grafton crash the situation became
on 26 October. Apart from joining the call for the
increasingly frenzied. All eyes were on the road transport
introduction of speed limiters, Robertson took the
industry, especially in New South Wales, where a police
opportunity to shift the blame for setting unreasonable
crackdown was turning up defective vehicles and
deadlines from the smaller operators to the larger
further evidence of a badly regulated industry.
organisations who were hiring them. “You go to get a job as an owner-driver, and if you say that you can’t
“The New South Wales roads minister, Bruce Baird, was
make an estimated time of arrival, they say step aside,
determined to start making curb-side regulations which
they’ll find somebody else who can,” Robertson said.
would have been very, very onerous to the operators,” remembers Peter Rocke. “Apart from the political risk
When asked which companies were behaving like this,
there was also the obvious antagonism by the general
Robertson replied, “Well, it starts from the very top,
public towards the road transport industry. They saw
from the major freight forwarders down. They set the
us as irresponsible killers.”
pace. What needs to happen is an overall reform of the industry, so clients who use freight realise that there
There was an obvious need for the entire road transport
must be some time restrictions put on deliveries, so
industry to come out with a clear policy and to try and
that reasonable rest time can be taken.”
re-establish a good relationship with the politicians of
32 <<
the day. They needed to show they were cognisant of
When Peter Rocke, president of the ARTF, telephoned to
the fact there had been a major disaster, and that the
express his views, Robertson asked him why the major
industry had to do something about it.
transport bodies hadn’t met to develop a strategy to combat the bad publicity they were receiving. “Kathy Robertson was using the accident as a political tool to cause trouble amongst the industry by stating that it was a result of the national freight forwarders
Safety Initiative >> To force errant drivers to lift their game, the industry put a 1800 number on the back of trucks and invited people to ring it to report unsafe practices.
taking control of the freight industry and causing the contractors to work excessive hours,” Rocke recalls. “So, as president of the ARTF, I felt it my duty to call her and tell her it wasn’t much use trying to lay the blame on any particular sector of the industry. I said that what we needed to do was to try and improve the situation and have a united voice when talking with governments. Otherwise, we were going to be legislated out of business.
Chapter 2 >> Ending the cowboy culture
<< What we needed to do was to try and improve the situation and have a united voice when talking with governments. Otherwise, we were going to be legislated out of business. >>
Peter Rocke
“We had a difference of opinion, but the final upshot
were all operators. It’s still the same today. If you get
of it was Kathy asking me what I was going to do about
a group of operators in the room, they all agree what
it, and I had to admit that I didn’t know.”
the problems are.
Frustrated by his inability to provide an intelligent
“Back then, we all recognised we needed to get some
answer, Peter Rocke decided to talk to all of the other
influence on the political system. We understood,
organisations involved in the road transport industry.
number one, we had a bad image, which we needed
His plan was to get them together to see if they could
to improve. We knew we had to educate the industry
craft a solution.
to improve its behaviour, and we had to convince the public that we weren’t bad.
“We needed to give the government some reassurance we weren’t an irresponsible group of people out there
“At that time, the laws were being made by the side of
seeking to kill and maim everybody on the road,” says
the road by the politicians. You couldn’t blame them
Peter Rocke. “I suggested to my board we needed to
for it, because that was what the community wanted.
do something positive and not just sit back and argue
We knew we had to address the issues and we knew it
amongst ourselves.”
was better for the industry to self-regulate than to face draconian laws. We wanted to have a sensible driving
Wheels start to roll
hours regime, and safety was the big thing. So we came
This was the atmosphere that prevailed when Rocke
up with a slogan, ‘Serious about safety’. We decided to
called the group together to meet in the Ansett hangar
put a 1800 number on the back of our trucks so people
at Mascot Airport. The invitation was extended to
could phone up and complain. That was a good thing;
Bruce McIver of the Australian Livestock Transporters
it concentrated the minds of the drivers on what was
Association, and Denis Robertson, president of the
and remains a very important issue.”
Long Distance Road Transport Association and the National Transport Federation.
The LDRTA was predominately made up of New South Wales transport operators, but it was the only national
“I was very supportive of the concept that we needed
organisation representing long-distance transport
to get together,” remembers Denis Robertson. “But
operators until what they regarded as the renegade
there was no animosity between us, because we
group in a formed the NTF.
>> 33
Chapter 2 >> Ending the cowboy culture
“The Grafton bus crash did wake everyone up: it was
at the Department of Transport, Higginson worked in
bound to happen. We were all running too heavy
the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
and too fast and it had to stop,” says NTF stalwart Ron Bunker. “All of the industry associations realised
“Being a note-taker gave me a good grounding in
they had to get involved with the safety policy.”
politics and how the system works in the Cabinet room,” says Higginson. “Then I moved into transport and met
“We were all doing things we shouldn’t have,” recalls
Jack Evans and Robert Gunning. Jack was the division
Australian Livestock Transport Association president
head and Robert worked alongside me. They had
Bruce McIver. “We knew, as industry leaders, we had
formed Resolution in 1988, and in mid-1989 they asked
to clean it up. Peter Rocke rang me out of the blue.
me to join them. We had worked very well as a team,
I hadn’t spoken to him before. We were all in a panic.
and they had been very good to me.”
If we weren’t, we would never have got together.” The job of the Resolution team was to facilitate a
Ending decades of friction
successful outcome: to use their expertise to enable
Historically, there had been a good deal of friction
those at the meeting to work out how they could
between the various groups Peter Rocke had invited
introduce measures like speed limiters to promote safety
to the meeting. So he thought it would be a good
within the industry, and thereby improve the public
idea to appoint an independent chairman to avoid
image of road transport. “One of the reasons the process
any accusation of bias.
worked was no one at the meeting took Resolution to be a threat,” says Andrew Higginson. “Some of them
At the time, the ARTF had been using the services of
wouldn’t talk to each other, but they all talked to us.”
the Canberra-based consultancy, Resolution. Jack Evans had started the company with three former colleagues
Enter the RTIF
at the Department of Transport in Canberra. Evans was
Despite the potential, thanks to long-term intra-industry
suggested as a suitable independent person to chair
rivalries, for the meeting to be a failure, a decision was
the first meeting of this disparate group.
taken to form a body called the Road Transport Industry Forum (RTIF).
Evans and his Resolution colleague Robert Gunning had worked alongside Andrew Higginson at the
A document compiled and distributed by Jack Evans
Federal Department of Transport. Before starting
prior to that critical meeting talked about the diminishing success the industry was having in getting its message across. As a result, the document said the industry was perceived not to be as serious as it should about road safety. Therefore, its initial aim should be to
LEFT The rising road death toll and the frequency of
develop a coordinated industry approach to improving
crashes involving trucks on Australia’s roads approached
the record of heavy freight vehicles in this vitally
a national scandal.
important area.
>> 35
Putting safety first
Whilst stating that the purpose of the forum should
At the end of the day, according to Peter Rocke, every
not be to develop a strategy to oppose tachographs,
representative present agreed they had to concentrate
the document did suggest that prompt and effective
on the theme of safety. So a meeting was arranged for
industry action would render such action unnecessary.
the following Thursday, 21 November, at Parliament
Therefore, it proposed that the forum develop a
House in Sydney, at which the representatives of the
program of events for the ensuing 12 months designed
RTIF’s four member organisations, the LDRTA, the NTF,
to complement then federal transport minister Bob
the ALTA and the ARTF, would meet then NSW transport
Brown’s call for the industry to lift its game or face the
minister Bruce Baird.
introduction of tachographs nationally. At that meeting, the representatives would emphasise In Paul Gaynor’s view, the formation of a body like the
their intention to follow a unified industry approach to
RTIF was inevitable. “The competitive nature of the
concerns regarding heavy vehicle safety and that they
various industry organisations that preceded it was
would no longer condone the activities of a small
interfering with the well-being of the industry. I think
segment of the industry. They said that they would
there was a sense of urgency at the meeting. We
work together with government to introduce realistic
realised we had to work together or the governments
and worthwhile reforms, while maintaining their total
would impose very heavy regulations industry-wide.”
opposition to the compulsory fitting of tachographs. The approach to Baird had to be carefully handled and
36 <<
Myth >>
the negative public image of trucking at the time meant that those who went to the meeting had to appear
The foundation of the RTIF was simply
understanding and genuinely in search of a solution.
another cynical attempt by trucking
So they spoke about plans they were developing to
companies to convince the public they
introduce speed limiters, a public campaign to identify
were doing something about road safety.
irresponsible truck operators (including a free 1800 number the public could use to ‘dob in’ cowboys), an enhanced logbook system and an accreditation system for operators.
Reality >> The industry was determined to be serious about heavy vehicle safety and would no longer condone the unsafe practices of a small number of truck drivers. The trucking industry had to adopt a unified approach to address the concerns of business owners.
But the NSW transport minister had further ammunition in his kit, of which the forum members were well aware. The implementation of a uniform heavy vehicle driving hours package had been delayed since December 1987. Among the government’s proposals were a maximum 15-hour working day and maximum 75-hour working week, quotas it was considering restricting further, to 12 hours a day and 72 hours a week.
Chapter 2 >> Ending the cowboy culture
<< ... if the heavy vehicle industry and state governments could not halve the number of heavy vehicle fatal accidents within 12 months, the Hawke government would introduce compulsory tachographs nationally. >> Bob Brown, Minister for Transport
Those involved in the RTIF knew they had to work
within 12 months, the Hawke government would
quickly. They needed to present their agenda to the
introduce compulsory tachographs nationally.”
politicians before they were overwhelmed by pressure from the public to do something, and became prepared
At the launch, the RTIF announced 20 transport
to do anything.
companies had signed up to a voluntary speed limiting program and agreed to a toll-free telephone number
This is clearly illustrated in a document circulated among
appearing on trucks alongside an invitation to the
members in the lead up to what was to be their third
public to call in to comment on road safety issues. It
meeting on 30 November. As that working paper said:
also announced the convening of a Heavy Vehicle Road
“It [was] essential the Forum be seen to present a united
Safety Summit for early 1990, and the development of
cohesive approach to improving road safety.”
a joint education program with the federal government called Sharing the Road.
>> 37
Transport industry kicks a goal
Nonetheless, the TWU expressed scepticism about the
The RTIF was formally launched at a press conference
formation of the RTIF shortly after its founding. In an
held at the Sydney Football Stadium on 8 December
interview published in the Henderson Transport and
1989. The presidents of its four member associations
Distribution Newsletter on 22 December 1989, acting
attended, as did their executive directors. Bob Brown
TWU NSW secretary Steve Hutchins dismissed the
and Bruce Baird represented the federal and NSW
initiative as “the latest attempt by trucking companies
governments, respectively. Also present were Ian
to convince the public they are doing something
Webber, managing director of Mayne Nickless, and
about road safety”.
Paul Brown, general manager of TNT. Soon after the launch, despite the fact that a truck “I congratulate the industry for responding so quickly
wasn’t even involved in the accident, the public’s
and so positively to the Hawke government initiatives
perception of the trucking industry deteriorated further
I announced on October 26,” said Bob Brown in an
when an even more disastrous crash occurred between
official statement. “I stated categorically that if the
two buses at Clybucca, about 200km south of the site
heavy vehicle industry and state governments could
of the Grafton crash. On Friday 22 December, two tourist
not halve the number of heavy vehicle fatal accidents
coaches collided head-on at 100kph killing 35 people
Putting safety first
and injuring a further 41. The disaster further inflamed
RTIF an opportunity to speak out on behalf of the entire
public demands for something to be done.
industry, and present a united front.
“After the two bus accidents, if you told people at
Andrew Higginson first appeared in the media as a
a barbecue you worked in the truck industry, they
representative of the road transport industry in The
looked at you like you were a drunken deadbeat on
Australian newspaper on 3 January 1990. In an article on
drugs,” remembers Bram Van der Schaar, then working
the differences between speed limits within Australia,
for Volvo Trucks. “In their eyes, you were just as bad
Higginson presented the RTIF’s view on the worsening
as them, because you were supplying them with
situation for trucking in Australia.
the trucks.” When Bruce Baird attended the scene
38 <<
of the Clybucca bus crash on 22 December 1989, he
“Drivers face the introduction of speed limiters in
announced the NSW speed limit for heavy vehicles
different states, and the possibility of tachographs being
would be reduced from 100kph to 90kph, and that
compulsory and checkable in others,” said Higginson.
tachographs were to be mandatory on all heavy
“They all say, ‘Lets have national uniformity, but only if
trucks on NSW roads from 1 July 1990.
you do it our way’.”
Limiting government
The regulatory changes introduced by the NSW
intervention
Government were beginning to bite, and the
The NSW Government was determined to introduce
atmosphere out on the highway was becoming tense.
legislation to enforce shorter driving hours, but was
The imposition of a 90kph speed limit by the NSW
meeting stiff opposition from all industry associations,
Government was causing blood to boil, particularly with
especially the RTIF. By cutting maximum driving hours
police applying maximum fines for exceeding the speed
to 12 hours a day, NSW was reneging on an agreement
limits by just 2kph. Increasing calls to take disruptive
reached with federal and state ministers in December
action were coming from drivers out on the road.
1987 to impose a national maximum of 15 hours of
Paul Gaynor suggested the RTIF protest should include
driving in a day.
a gathering of trucks somewhere in Canberra, which would enable truckies to let off steam without causing
The moves by the NSW Government were seen to be
a major disruption to the economy. A letter sent to
a direct attack on the trucking industry. This gave the
then NSW premier Nick Greiner, the RTIF called on the
<< After the two bus accidents, if you told people at a barbecue you worked in the truck industry, they looked at you like you were a drunken deadbeat on drugs. >>
Bram Van der Schaar
Chapter 2 >> Ending the cowboy culture
government to pull back from the new regulations to defuse a volatile situation. Some form of industrial action like a blockade was beginning to appear inevitable. No log books or driving hours
This would not have gone down well with some members of the RTIF. Their instincts were to distance themselves as far as possible from any industrial action. Highway demonstrations were seen to be TWU territory. Ironically, the RTIF meeting on 4 January 1990 was the first in which discussions took place about the possible inclusion of the TWU in the RTIF. The tragic events at the end of 1989 had an equally tragic footnote. On 13 January 1990, Senior Constable Eastes, who had been suffering from depression since attending the Grafton bus crash, was found dead in
No log books or driving hours
Maximum driving hours: 11 hours in 24 commencing at midnight. 5 1/2 hours in any one period. Minimum rest period: 30 minutes after 5 1/2 hours. 10 consecutive hours in every 24. 24 consecutive hours in one week. Maximum driving hours: 12 hours in the preceding 24. 5 consecutive hours. Minimum rest period: 30 minutes after 5 hours driving. 5 consecutive hours in 24. 24 consecutive hours. Maximum driving hours: in preceding week. 12 hours in preceding 24. 5 consecutive hours. Minimum rest period: 30 minutes every 5 hours. 5 consecutive hours in 24. 24 consecutive hours in a week.
Regulations for the keeping of log books/driving hours as of December 1988 No log books or driving hours. Bus and Coach drivers 11 hours maximum in 24.
Maximum driving hours: 12 hours in any 24 hour period. 5 consecutive hours. 72 hours per week. Must have 24 consecutive hours rest in one week.
a motel room in Brisbane having committed suicide. Following the accident, Eastes had been off duty on sick report, said to be suffering from Acute Post
Nonetheless, tempers were running high in NSW. At a
Dramatic Shock Syndrome.
meeting of the LDRTA on 16 January 1990, 13 changes were prescribed to enable the trucking industry to
As the investigation continued, the story only got
recommence operating normally, the last of which was
worse for the transport industry. Tests showed the truck
the resignation of Bruce Baird as minister of transport.
driver involved in the Grafton crash had 80 times the acceptable therapeutic level of ephedrine in his blood.
The RTIF met again on 24 January and followed up by releasing a statement calling for discussions with the
Good news at last
NSW Government, a moratorium on the new speed and
Fortunately for the trucking industry, statistics came to
driving hours regulations, and for all members of the
light around this time that seemed to contradict the
trucking industry to stay calm in a time of crisis – and not
perceptions about trucking and safety which had held
to take precipitate action over the Australia Day weekend.
sway in the media since the Grafton accident. Over the 1989/90 Christmas holiday period, 17,000 people were
The statement included the following comment on
booked for speeding in NSW, only 2 per cent of whom
the effects of the new rules on the industry generally:
were truck drivers. Total accident fatalities in 1989
“Neither the industry, the community, nor any
were the lowest since 1958, and the number of heavy
government that is committed to micro-economic reform
vehicles involved in fatal accidents had fallen from
can afford to allow state procrastination and backsliding
304 in 1988 to 162.
to continue to jeopardise economic recovery.”
>> 39
Putting safety first
Hearings into the two deadly accidents on the Pacific Highway were followed by a third examining road
Safety Initiative >> The RTIF saw the introduction of speed limiters as a cost-effective
safety issues in Australia. Many subjects were covered, including speed limits, speed limiters, drivers holding multiple licences from different states, driver fatigue, driving hours regulations, the use of drugs by truck
step towards achieving the highly
drivers, the construction of heavy vehicles, road
desirable goal of a uniform, national,
construction policies and the policies affecting national
road transport policy, and used
road transport and road freight.
a series of graphs and tables to demonstrate the safety of trucks relative to other vehicles.
At the hearing’s conclusion, Waller called for a reduction of the truck speed limit to 90kph, and a two-cents per litre levy to help transform the Pacific Highway into a four-lane highway from Sydney to Brisbane.
Industry takes the lead
40 <<
Prior to reaching agreement on a more formal structure,
One of the RTIF’s first publications, Improving Heavy
the four member organisations met regularly with
Vehicle Road Safety, was characterised as a statement
RTIF chairman Jack Evans to discuss their options and
by Australia’s road transport industry. It said the
develop a strategy to take the industry forward. This
introduction of speed limiters would be a cost-effective
period was as much about getting to know each
step towards achieving the highly desirable goal of
other’s strengths and weaknesses as it was developing
a uniform, national, road transport policy. It used a
a plan that would enable the road transport industry
series of graphs and tables to demonstrate the relative
to mitigate the threats being issued from the various
safety of trucks compared to other road vehicles. The
state and federal legislatures.
pamphlet went on to explain how effective speed limiters would be as a solution to the problem of
Focus on the situation was sharpened when the
speeding trucks, and why tachographs would
inquest into the Grafton crash, presided over by
necessitate intensive enforcement efforts but do
magistrate Kevin Waller, began on 29 January 1990.
nothing to improve road safety. The message from
Police evidence given by senior constable Bob Sawyer
the RTIF was clear and hard-hitting: introduce speed
put the blame for the crash squarely on the shoulders
limiters and forget about tachographs.
of the truck driver, David Hutchins. Dennis Cowdroy, QC, for the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority and the
During this period, the RTIF constantly reiterated the
Transport Ministry, told Glebe Coroner’s Court that
five-point national road safety program it planned to
Hutchins had driven some 3600km in the three days
roll out over the next 12 months. It had to convince
before the crash. This implied he had been driving
the public that the road transport industry was serious
well over the legally allowed driving hours.
about safety, and willing and able to clean up its act.
Chapter 2 >> Ending the cowboy culture
Reform No.1: Fast-tracking the introduction of vehicle
(RFAC) before action was taken. However, he stood firm
speed-limiting devices to control the worst excesses
on truck speed limits, insisting that the 90kph limit
of the speeding trucks.
would stay. The meeting certainly was eventful. As parliament was in session at the time, minister Baird was
Reform No.2: An industry accreditation scheme
forced to rush in and out of the room in the midst of
was to be set up alongside a Code of Safety Conduct.
delivering a very personal verbal attack on Paul Gaynor, to which Peter Rocke objected vigorously. In response to
Reform No.3: The creation of a public display
Rocke’s rebuke, Baird delivered an apology, and to Rocke
of the aims and objectives of this transport industry
and Gaynor’s surprise, the meeting ended positively.
initiative that could be used to garner public support, to demonstrate the industry’s eagerness to change,
While negotiations were proceeding and the Forum was
and to get some politicians behind the program.
putting its program into place, Kevin Waller delivered the following judgement at the conclusion of the Grafton
Reform No.4: The introduction of targeted training and
inquest at the Glebe Magistrate’s Court: “It is proved to
the launch of some realistic short courses in the first half
a high degree of probability that [the driver’s] ingestion
of 1990 to improve the overall levels of knowledge and
of the large amounts of ephedrine has been the cause
safety awareness in the transport industry workforce.
of the collision, either by causing him to drive erratically and inappropriately, or by causing him to hallucinate
Reform No.5: The creation of a joint government and
and take hurried measures to avoid the phantom object.
industry education program, Sharing the Road, to
If nothing is done we must live with the dire expectation
inform the general public about the industry by holding
that this crash, and that at Kempsey, will be repeated.”
specially-created shopping centre events and displays. At this point, the RTIF was operating without any real Meanwhile, the RTIF was beginning to kick some PR
organisational backing or funding. Each time a
goals at the national level. On 30 January 1990, the
commitment was made, its members had to perform
then shadow minister for land transport and shipping,
another round of fundraising to get the project through
John Sharp, met Jack Evans and Denis Robertson
to its next stage.
outside of Parliament House in Canberra to fix a safety sticker to the rear of a semitrailer run by Geoff Rudd.
Expenses incurred were borne by the trucking industry
The sticker invited the public to phone the community
participants themselves, and members of the group were
access line, 008 02 4990, with suggestions for road
calling in favours and cajoling friends and colleagues to
safety improvements.
help with funds to pay for Resolution’s facilitation and clerical work.
The following day, the RTIF met with NSW transport minister Bruce Baird. In the meeting, Baird committed
Resolution had an office in Canberra that served as an
to ensuring any major changes would be subject to
RTIF base until it could lease an office, employ a secretary
consultation with the Road Freight Advisory Council
and develop a more formal organisational structure.
>> 41
Chapter 11 Framing the future
Putting safety first
Framing the future
D
Despite occasional failures, the ATA clearly established
Despite the fact that safer and more efficient technology
that the trucking industry was prepared to work and
was constantly providing the industry with scope for
fight hard for industry improvements. This was
further productivity gains, the ATA still had to fight to
highlighted by the ATA founders’ determination to:
introduce new and safer technologies for the benefit of
>> develop a “whole of industry” approach and ensure
trucking and the entire community.
an authentic voice for trucking operators and drivers
146 <<
>> make truck road safety its highest priority
ATA’s Mission
>> pursue a credible and well-researched approach to
From its earliest days, the ATA took the lead in
countering challenges, including tackling the
developing, then widely promoting, a clear vision for
taxation and environmental myths spread by its
the Australian trucking industry. As stated in an early
industry opponents
ATA document, that mission was to:
>> profoundly transform and reduce the taxes and charges paid by the industry.
>> build unity in the road transport industry to achieve common goals >> increase recognition of the national road transport
There is no doubt these can be described as “defining moments” in the ATA’s first 20 years. This is particularly
industry by governments and the community >> promote and develop self-regulation and
true of the successful realisation of the ATA’s tax reform
quality assurance to enhance the professionalism,
agenda in 2000 and its decision to ignore industrial
safety and efficiency of the road transport
relations in order to work with the Transport Workers
industry
Union, which represented many employees of ATA
>> influence government decision-making by ensuring
members. Nonetheless, the ATA’s trucking industry
that road transport operators are consulted prior
improvement agenda had yet to be fully realised when
to the drafting of legislation designed to regulate
this book went to press.
the industry
>> create institutional structures which recognise the
essential role in servicing a sparsely populated continent
importance of the road transport industry and
and provided a livelihood for hard working Australians
ensure that the voice of operators is heard.
at all levels of society.
The ATAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s founders had thought long and hard about
The environment the ATA founders faced was dominated
developing a philosophy that would carry the industry
by the key issues that still shape the trucking policy
forward; they strived to develop a policy platform that
landscape, including sharing the road with others, paying
would help it to resist seemingly overwhelming external
taxes and charges unique to trucking, and being over
pressures and would advance its membersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; interests
regulated with respect to truck design and operation.
and potential.
It also reflected the fact that railways in Australia were owned and operated by governments who often saw
The ATA initiators recognised that, as well as being
trucking as a threat to the value of their rail assets. As
divided, the industry was outgunned by the anti-
the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s railways are still predominantly government-
trucking lobby and not strongly supported by the many
owned, the regulation of the trucking industry is still
bureaucracies across the nation that favoured state
affected by politics. Therefore, the industry must
government-owned rail interests over those of private
continue to invest in the development of professional
road transport operators. They also knew that, despite
and well-researched arguments in order to influence
these shortcomings, the trucking industry played an
the national transport policy development debate.
>> 147
Putting safety first
Founded on safety
higher-productivity vehicles on a purpose-built road
The ATA was founded in a period of intense external
network could not be advanced until governments
pressure on the trucking industry driven by the safety
and the community were satisfied that the ATA had
concerns of the community and governments. Therefore,
developed a genuine focus on this very important issue.
focusing on safety was imperative. The ATA’s early programs – including the “three strikes and you’re out”
The Road Transport Industry Forum had barely been
speeding policy, TruckSafe and the Fatigue Management
launched before the then prime minister Bob Hawke
Program – were all safety-oriented initiatives. The
opened the National Heavy Vehicle Road Safety
preoccupation with safety was reinforced by a number
Summit in Sydney in February 1990. Everything about
of ATA communications programs, including:
that first meeting reflected the ATA’s determination to
>> Forum on the Road meetings in 1991, 1992 and 1995
make a mark.
>> Federal Office of Road Safety TV ads (“Cut out cutting in”, etc.)
Grassroots operators actively supported the Summit and
>> Today’s Truckies program and visits by Mike Whitney
attended in unprecedented numbers. The event was
>> Road Transport Awareness Week events run around
held at Sydney’s iconic Opera House, the one Australian
the country >> National Drive for Safety, the safety education trailer and the John Laws initiative.
building instantly recognised around the world. Bob Hawke opened the Summit at the beginning of a federal Labor election campaign, and the personal relations forged between the Labor Party and the ATA proved
These programs effectively encouraged industry
148 <<
to be long-lived.
members to “connect with their community” on a more regular basis. While taxes and charges were
The ATA used the event to launch its call for trucking
prime policy areas, the overall consensus was that
industry self-regulation. Improved levels of safety
little could be achieved unless the industry was seen
and professionalism were seen to be essential to the
to be “serious about safety”. Its ambition to operate
industry’s development. Supporters passionately believed that by helping to achieve them, they would win the right to influence key policy proposals they deemed undesirable, such as the introduction of compulsory speed limiters and unrealistic driving-hours regulations.
LEFT Many bureaucracies across the nation favoured state government-owned rail interests over those of private road transport operators.
Chapter 11 >> Framing the future
Self-regulation foundation In the early years, efforts to achieve industry selfregulation focused on four key areas: vehicle maintenance; driver health and training standards; and company operations (in other words, “the right vehicle, the right driver and the right company”). To help make progress with each of these issues, industry working groups were formed in January 1991 and a National Road Transport Accreditation Conference
<< Businesses were to work towards gaining formal accreditation that would deliver tangible safety and regulatory benefits, and thereby enhance professionalism in the trucking industry. >>
was held in Melbourne in February of that year. The ATA’s efforts in the safety area gained significant momentum when it secured a commonwealth government grant
The objective was to attract rewards and recognition
of $400,000 to assist with this work.
by ensuring that the industry stayed at least one step ahead of government regulatory requirements. The
The Forum on the Road tours in 1991 and 1992 secured
first official acknowledgement it was doing so came
industry support across the country, both for the ATA
when the NSW government announced it would no
and its safety and self-regulation concepts. The National
longer require annual mandatory truck inspections in
Convention in 1992 agreed to launch a pilot program
government-regulated workshops for trucks accredited
from July that year. Over time, more and more staff
under the TruckSafe vehicle maintenance program.
resources were assigned to this project. The first staff
Other recognition soon followed, including road trains
member appointed was James Shaw, who reviewed
being permitted to operate from Port Augusta to
the initial pilot program in face-to-face discussions at
Adelaide, subject to industry accreditation.
the place of business of each participant. Before long, Shaw was joined by well-known industry identities such
Industry-leading proposals put forward by the ATA
as John Kelly and Craig Roseneder, who led various
since its foundation include:
aspects of the program, and Melbourne-based health
Speed limiting The proposal to speed-limit trucks
consultant David Stewart.
following horrific truck and bus crashes in the late 1980s led directly to the ATA’s formation. Key operators,
A subsequent review resulted in many recommendations,
including livestock transporter Jim Savage from
including greatly increasing the number of companies
Tamworth, played a key role in this process, which
involved in the self-regulation program from the
helped to show governments that the industry was
original 29 members to 200. Dubbed “Team 200”,
serious about addressing community safety concerns.
these businesses were to work towards gaining formal accreditation that would deliver tangible safety and
The chain of responsibility The need for a “chain of
regulatory benefits, and thereby enhance professionalism
responsibility” concept to apply to all aspects of road
in the trucking industry.
transport law has been outlined in the ATA’s papers
>> 149
Putting safety first
from day one. The concept was central to the ATA’s
Research carried out by Austroads in 2008 demonstrated
safety agenda, which aimed to ensure that “proposed
the power of industry involvement and its shared
national laws provide for all elements of the transport
ownership of the road safety agenda, realities that are
supply chain to be held accountable for their actions”.
yet to be accepted by some state governments. The research examined heavy vehicle crash rates from
In February 1997, the NRTC and ATA CEOs issued a joint
1 January 2003 to 31 December 2005 and showed that
media release announcing the introduction in mid-1997
the crash rate for TruckSafe-accredited vehicles was half
of legislation that would compel truck operators to
that of non-accredited trucks.
faithfully observe road transport laws. Austroads also examined the safety benefits of TruckSafe The road to full acceptance of the concept was a rocky
accreditation using insurance data provided by National
one. The industry struggled to convince its customers of
Transport Insurance (NTI), the largest Australian truck
its importance. This meant that commercial realities often
insurer. NTI operators accredited with TruckSafe lodged
overrode operators’ determination to “do the job right”.
33 per cent fewer claims than those who weren’t.
It was a titanic struggle to get the state bureaucracies to
The study also demonstrated that the operators
allocate the resources required to ensure the chain of
improved their safety records after joining the TruckSafe
responsibility’s effectiveness.
program. The total cost of operators’ claims during their first two years of accreditation was 57 per cent less than
150 <<
Power of industry involvement
during the two years prior. For operators with 10 or
The clear lesson to be learned from the ATA’s experience
fewer powered units, the reduction was 38 per cent.
was that solutions to road safety problems needed to be developed by the industry as a whole, not by a handful
The TruckSafe project was recognised in 1995 by the
of road safety bureaucrats in ivory towers in capital cities.
Victorian Health Department as a best-practice case
Crash rates of TruckSafe and non-NHVAS accredited vehicles, 2003-2005
CATEGORY
Non-NHVAS accredited credited TruckSafe accredited
CRASHES
VEHICLE YEARS*
CRASH RATE (crashes per vehicle year)
6,278
94,753
0.066
408
12,249
0.033
*Vehicle years are a measure of accident exposure. A vehicle accredited for the entire three years is assigned a vehicle year value of three.
Chapter 11 >> Framing the future
study. It was also the winner of the Queensland Safety Awards and a runner-up in the National Safety Awards.
Safety Initiative >> The formation of the ATA definitely gave voice and
Realising that road safety problems were
direction to the industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to improving
not going to be solved by a handful of road
road safety and to getting its people and other road users home safely. Unfortunately, some governments chose to ignore the fact that the industry was committed to being part of the solution, and
safety bureaucrats in ivory towers in capital cities, the ATA insisted that the solutions be developed by the trucking industry.
continued to attack it whenever incidents occurred.
Founding principles While the ATA was founded in response to the urgent
when the newly elected Hawke federal government
need to improve the safety performance of Australian
forged an alliance with the Greiner government in
road transport, its charter was soon broadened to
New South Wales.
address the problems of over-taxing and over-regulation of the industry. The roughly synchronous publication of
Apart from the opportunity to push for more consistent
an Interstate Commission (ISC) report recommending
national regulation of the industry and the removal of
the introduction of truck registration charges of up to
state barriers, one of the most valuable products of
$30,000 per annum justified this extension. It was clear
closer government/trucking industry consultation was
that the industry was bearing excessive indirect taxes,
the federal governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s undertaking to initiate a study
and that governments were unwilling to recognise the
into the level of indirect tax paid by the trucking industry.
contribution it made to the economy, road construction and maintenance.
An independent study had revealed that the industry was paying tax at a rate two-and-a-half times the
Clearly, the true value of the trucking industry to Australia
average rate paid by major Australian industries. So the
had to be demonstrated, and with the National Road
ATA commissioned economist John Zeitsch to produce
Transport Commission (NRTC) having been founded at
the Swan Review â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a breakthrough study of the impact
around the same time as the ATA, the scene was set
of road transport diesel taxes on the Australian economy.
for an ATA-led push for the introduction of nationally consistent transport regulations and vehicle registration
While the commissioning of objective, independent
charges. At the time, truck registration charges in NSW
research reports is now commonplace, at the time of the
were 50 per cent more than in Victoria, and three times
Swan Review it was completely unknown in the trucking
the amounts paid in South Australia and WA.
industry. Nonetheless, the report provided the industry with an armoury of powerful facts it could use at a time
An opportunity for the ATA to create a good working
when governments and the general community were
relationship with the NTRC emerged in the early 1990s
more concerned with promoting economic growth.
>> 151
Putting safety first
Some of the key findings of the Swan Review included:
Dispelling the Myths. The report dispelled some of the
>> removing excessive taxes on the road transport
key misconceptions about the environmental effects
industry would increase Australia’s gross domestic
of the trucking industry. It was disseminated widely
product by just under 2 per cent and increase
and gave people in the industry both the tools and the
real after-tax wages by a shade over 1 per cent
confidence they needed to put their environmental
>> excessive trucking taxes most affected efficient
case forward. It was no longer possible for industry
export industries >> tax accounted for around half the price of trucking fuel >> a boost in road investment would have enormous benefits for the Australian economy.
opponents to use so-called “objective arguments” to attribute many of the negative environmental effects of economic activity to trucking. The industry could confidently demonstrate that it contributed a mere 1.8 per cent of Australian industry’s total greenhouse gas emissions, a fraction of the total it had been accused
The trucking industry pursued these themes
of spewing into the atmosphere.
unrelentingly in its representations to federal and state governments, in discussions with sectors dependent
Other myths dispelled by the Apelbaum Report
on road transport, in the National Drive for Safety, and
included:
in all the other grassroots contacts between trucking
Myth 1: Trucks are the biggest polluter
operators and politicians.
False. At the time the Apelbaum Report was released, road transport accounted for 10 per cent of net national
152 <<
The best part of a decade later, the ATA continues to
emissions of greenhouse gases and trucks accounted
push for tax reform. Even today, the underlying
for just 18 per cent of road transport emissions.
mechanisms of the cost recovery program are liable to be challenged from time to time. The desire of some
Myth 2: Trucking is stuck with inefficient high
in government to over-tax any unsuspecting industry
consumption and high emissions engines
they can has not diminished. As a result, the ATA remains
False. Trucking fuel efficiency had been improving
unrelenting in its efforts to remind governments that:
rapidly and emissions of all sorts had dropped
>> improved road funding (like tax reform) has
even more quickly.
economic, social, environmental and safety benefits for all Australians >> road funding must be tied to financing road
Myth 3: Trucking is the major transport issue in urban areas
improvements in order to stop governments using
False. Passenger vehicles overwhelmingly dominated
it to plug holes in their budgets then demanding
travel and emissions in urban areas.
more taxes to improve roads. Myth 4: Trucks are the most energy-intensive
Trucking and the environment
of road freight vehicles
In October 1995, the RTA released the Apelbaum Report
False. Trucks were very efficient at moving
entitled Australian Trucking and the Environment –
freight, and the more productive trucks delivered
Chapter 11 >> Framing the future
freight as much as twenty times more efficiently
Myth 9: Trucks should pay more fuel tax to help
than any realistic alternative.
fix greenhouse gas problems False. The economic modelling performed for the
Myth 5: Trucking has ignored alternative fuels
Apelbaum Report by Tasman Asia Pacific showed the
False. Extensive work had been done in this area.
excessive costs of targeting the road transport industry,
As at June 1993, 2 per cent of truck fuel was derived
and provided some of the early estimates of the
from LPG or natural gas.
economic cost to ordinary Australians of taxing carbon: a matter of continuing controversy today.
Myth 6: Trucks increasingly contribute to road safety problems
Interlocking industry webs
False. Trucking was continually improving its road
Many of the new wave of trucking operators who
safety performance.
became involved in the formation and growth of the ATA were also members of organisations like the
Myth 7: Trucks had become noisier
Australian Livestock Transporters Association, the
False. At that stage, perceived noise from trucks had
National Transport Federation and the Long-Distance
been reduced by a quarter from 1970. The report also
Road Transport Association.
pointed out that at speeds above 60kph, tyre/road noise exceeded the noise generated by the engine,
Many of them had started their own businesses, lots
transmission or exhausts, and that research was
drove trucks themselves, and most were more than
underway into measures to improve road surfaces
willing to act to improve industry conditions once
and tyre construction to reduce noise further.
they could see the advantages of doing so. Drawing on this broad range of strengths, the ATA developed a
Myth 8: Investments in roads will not substantially
successful operating model based on the following:
improve the environment
>> an intense examination of the facts
False. Investment in traffic congestion reduction
>> the identification of the different interests at stake
strategies had reduced fuel consumption by 20 to
>> the prioritisation of industry-wide issues
30 per cent, halved CO2 emissions and reduced
>> open and vigorous debate to determine
hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions by
agreed goals, and the arguments and approach
two-thirds.
required to achieve them.
<< The industry could confidently demonstrate that it contributed a mere 1.8 per cent of Australian industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s total greenhouse gas emissions, a fraction of the total it had been accused of spewing into the atmosphere. >>
>> 153
Putting safety first
Once a specific, quantifiable goal had been identified,
Individual operators then approached members of
the ATA proceeded to:
parliament and bureaucracies throughout Australia, to
>> brief the trade media (which proved themselves
whom they presented their arguments in support of
to be great allies of the industry by highlighting
the introduction of a national truck registration regime.
the issues, energising operators and providing
In addition, ATA office bearers, notably former chairman
invaluable feedback to the ATA)
Bruce McIver, held a series of discussions with federal
>> constantly monitor progress using a wide range of
and state ministers.
communication tools, including direct conversation and a weekly update on the state of play >> arm grassroots industry participants with the information and advice they needed >> accept information provided from a broad network
Yet the campaign team recognised that state governments generally appeared likely to agree with hard-won recommendations for new national registration charges from the National Road Transport
of activists and act quickly to take advantage of any
Commission right up to the deadline for their
opportunities – and plug any holes – that were
introduction. At this point, more often than not,
identified.
insurmountable “difficulties” would mysteriously arise. For example, the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority
154 <<
The ATA used its rolling campaign strategy to help
would suddenly claim that the national charges were
achieve its various objectives, notably the introduction
too low and that the number of extra trucks expected
of uniform national truck registration charges from
to register in NSW would not be sufficient to
1 July 1996. In support of this objective, ATA staff
compensate for the decrease in revenue per truck.
produced key fact sheets to keep operators fully informed about the progress of the campaign and
In response to one such move by government, the ATA
conducted a constant stream of media briefings.
commissioned a survey which demonstrated that the reductions forecast in NSW state revenue had no basis in fact. Simultaneously, it launched a campaign to encourage the federal government to support the
<< The successful introduction of national charges demonstrated that industry involvement with governments was justified, and that the ATA could work with operators to create a highly effective lobbying force. >>
introduction of national truck registration charges by threatening to withhold the substantial “competition payments” it made to the states each year. Fortunately, the then federal minister for transport, Laurie Brereton, clearly indicated a commitment to national charges and a willingness to hold back national competition payments from any state that reneged on the agreed reform agenda. In addition, the then NSW shadow transport minister Brian Langton obtained a written agreement from opposition leader Bob Carr
Chapter 11 >> Framing the future
to adopt the new truck charges if the Labor party
While the ATA had strong messages to deliver about
won the forthcoming NSW election (which it did).
the needs of the trucking industry, it was obvious that
As a result, national truck registration charges came
without the money to do so it was powerless.
into effect in 1996. Initially, it funded its operations with donations from
Effective lobbying force
loyal industry suppliers, including foundation sponsors
The successful introduction of national charges
BP, NTI and Volvo Trucks. Later, the organisation
demonstrated that the National Road Transport
strengthened its economic foundations by introducing
Commission was a body to be taken seriously, that
its annual National Road Transport Convention and
industry involvement with governments was justified,
its annual Technical and Maintenance Conference. Yet
and that the ATA could work with operators to create
by the mid-1990s, it was clear the ATA needed a steady
a highly effective lobbying force.
source of income to support its ever-broadening range of activities.
For example, a local transport operator from Far North Queensland, Liz Schmidt, could be relied upon to go
To satisfy this requirement, many of the ATA’s original
to all the public meetings and consultations held
founders came together to secure a 99-year lease on a
with government officials and politicians in places like
valuable piece of commercial real estate in Canberra and
Townsville. Another local operator in the southeast
the funds to develop a high-rise commercial building
of South Australia, Heather Burdon, would be sure
thereon. Thanks to the rental income it now generates,
to pose apposite questions, to respond on the spot,
this building is the basis of financial security the ATA
and to initiate a local media campaign on the basis
enjoys today.
of ATA media briefings (she virtually always managed to secure a spot on the local TV news). Similarly,
The more things change . . .
Jim Pearson senior from Port Macquarie always kept
Shortly after the ATA was founded, the following
his local member of parliament fully briefed, which
areas were identified as priorities for industry reform.
became especially useful when the local member,
ATA directors were made responsible for determining
Mark Vaile, was also the deputy prime minister.
particular strategies, objectives and outcomes, then for developing policies to ensure the desired outcomes
One 1994 ATA newsletter reported that operators in
were achieved.
ATA member organisations were actively working in 63 federal electorates to get the ATA’s tax message
Safety: The ATA was founded to improve safety. Twenty
across to parliamentarians. It was also reported
years later, safety is still its number one priority, as
that Kim Beazley had been too busy to discuss the
evidenced by the Mobile Education Centre (MEC).
issue – until Alan Layton (then an executive director of WARTA) sat next to him on a plane trip from
Self-regulation: The TruckSafe program was kicked off
Western Australia and delivered the ATA message
by the ATA in 1990. This industry-leading initiative is
loud and clear.
continuing to lift truck-operating standards nationally.
>> 155
Putting safety first
ABOVE Will the next 20 years of the ATA be as exciting,
Regulations: The New South Wales Roads & Traffic
challenging and productive as its first two decades?
Authority’s recent decision to lay 2088 chain-ofresponsibility charges on 164 defendants extended liability for regulatory infringements beyond the driver and operator. The move is proof that the ATA’s ability to help improve the regulatory environment is undiminished.
Taxes and charges: Another foundation objective
156 <<
was to rationalise the ever-increasing mix of taxes and
Industry unity: The ATA is continually informing the
charges imposed by governments on the industry.
industry on the development of national issues such
The introduction of a fuel excise rebate and marginal
as national heavy vehicle regulation. This important
increases in truck and trailer depreciation reflect the
arm of ATA policy has been active since day one.
influence the ATA managed to gain on regulators and governments and continues to enjoy today.
Working with governments: The ATA’s ability to negotiate with governments has been evident since
Roads: The ATA’s third foundation objective was to
its foundation. It was strengthened by the 1994
improve the conditions truck and other drivers were
appointment of the competent Michael Apps as
forced to confront on Australia’s roads. Increases in road
government relations manager, and reinforced in
funding and the introduction of extended rest areas
2010 by Apps’ replacement, the talented Bill McKinley,
were both significant victories for the trucking fraternity.
who also generates first-class internal and external communiqués.
Environment: The ATA-commissioned Apelbaum Report, which currently is being updated, is placing
Community awareness: The Mobile Education Centre
considerable emphasis on alternative fuels. This shift
(MEC) and Road Transport Awareness Week are two
reflects the ATA’s undying commitment to staying
major undertakings that continue to lift the profile and
ahead of the times.
reputation of the Australian road transport industry.
Chapter 11 >> Framing the future
Perception versus reality
>> perpetuating a cohesive and national membership
In 2009, the ATA considered it prudent to gauge the
>> assisting member organisations to increase their
effectiveness of its policies, so it commissioned a specialist consultant to conduct a quantitative survey to see how various stakeholders perceived it.
operator member numbers >> continuing to lift the professionalism and profile of the industry in the eyes of the Australian public >> disseminating information as quickly and efficiently
The survey revealed that the organisation was seen to:
as possible
>> employ skilled and dedicated staff
>> improving the financial viability of all ATA members
>> communicate effectively
>> continuing to promote policies to benefit all
>> have strong Canberra connections >> conduct quality research that produced detailed, credible information >> operate efficiently.
industry members >> influencing governments to introduce practical legislation to improve business efficiency and productivity, together with maintaining and expanding national infrastructure requirements.
However, the survey also revealed that the ATA was seen to:
Quo vadis ATA
>> lack a rigorous long-term approach to policy
Each of these policies is strenuously addressed by the
development
ATA in its endeavours to advance the interests of the
>> be reactive rather than proactive
Australian road transport industry. However, given the
>> be inconsistent in its approach to national issues.
constantly changing nature of all sectors of the industry in Australia, the major question facing the ATA as it
The survey was the catalyst for the creation of a strategic
enters its third decade is, where does it go from here?
plan compiled by the chairs and members of the ATA’s various policy committees. The process was aided
Will the next 20 years of the ATA be as exciting,
by strong input from corporate members, including
challenging and productive as its first two decades?
Ashley Morrow from Australia Post and Simon Skazlic
What problems will it face and how can the energies and
from K&S Freighters.
skills of the ATA’s secretariat and its members best be applied to extend its influence for the foreseeable future?
The final document identified over 60 initiatives, the progress of which was to be reviewed regularly by the
Whatever the challenges prove to be, it is critical that
ATA Council. Each of these actions was firmly based on
future leaders continue to galvanise the commitment
the following policies developed during the RTIF/RTF/
of ATA supporters across Australia – people who often
ATA’s foundation, which remain as relevant in 2010 as
go unnoticed in the tedium of everyday life, but who
they were in 1989:
willingly help to promote the worth of the ATA, to
>> maintaining safety as its number one priority
champion the rights of the individual operators it
>> retaining operators as the decision-makers, backed
represents, and to publicly proclaim the world-class
by competent secretariats
achievements of the Australian trucking industry.
>> 157
Appendices
Appendices
Key Management Chairs
CEOs
David Simon
2010 -
Stuart St Clair
2006 -
Trevor Martyn
2006 - 2010
Chris Althaus
2002 - 2006
Ross Fraser
2004 - 2006
Peter Reece
2001 - 2002
Mike Almond
2002 - 2004
Andrew Higginson 1989 - 2000
Kathy Williams
2000 - 2002
Ron Finemore
1996 - 1999
Denis Robertson
1994 - 1996
Bruce McIver
1991 - 1994
Peter Rocke
1989 - 1991
Corporate Members
as at May 2010
Company members
Member organisations
Australia Post
Australian Furniture Removers Association
Boral
ATA NSW
K & S Freighters
Australian Trucking Association NT
Linfox Logistics
Australian Livestock Transporters Association
Scottâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s of Mt Gambier
NatRoad, incorporating the Australian Road Train Association Queensland Trucking Association South Australian Road Transport Association Transport Forum of WA Transport Workers Union of Australia Victorian Transport Association
Foundation sponsors BP Australia Pty Ltd National Transport Insurance Limited Volvo Australia Pty Ltd
>> 159
Putting safety first
Australian Trucking Association Structure
AUSTRALIAN TRUCKING ASSOCIATION LIMITED
(Public Company)
A public company limited by guarantee Owned by members Trading as Australian Trucking Association
ATA MEMBERS
ATA TRUST FUND
Pay fees Liability limited by guarantee ($5,000)
Directors appointed by Board of Management
ATA GENERAL COUNCIL
ATA BOARD OF MANAGEMENT
Nominated persons of Associations/ Companies/Others/Past Chairs Sets Policy Elects Board of Management
Responsible / liable personally Implements policy from ATA General Council Directs / delegates management to CEO to achieve objectives of the Association
164 << ATA SECRETARIAT
Minter Ellison Building 25 National Circuit, Forrest ACT 2603 Telephone (02) 6253 6900 Fax (02) 6253 6999
ATA KEY RESULT AREAS (KRAs)
Skills & workforce Communications Economics, pricing and environment Transport Policy, infrastructure and access Safety
ATA INDUSTRY TECHNICAL COUNCIL (ITC)
ATA BOARD OF MANAGEMENT COMMITTEES
ATA Convention Finance Mobile Education Centre (MEC) National Headquarters (NHQ)
Appendices
Australian Trucking at a glance 1989 to 1991 Road Transport Industry Forum Chairman: Peter Rocke Chief Executive: Andrew Higginson
>> The original informal network that became the Road Transport Industry Forum , then the Road Transport Forum (RTF) which in turn became the Australian Trucking Association (ATA). >> Five (5) members > Long Distance Road Transport Association > National Transport Federation > Australian Road Transport Federation > Australian Livestock Transport Association > Northern Territory Road Transport Association >> Forum on the Road canvassed industry seeking support for a national peak organisation >> Development of ideas for constitution and articles of association >> Major bus and truck incidents at Kempsey and Grafton forced intense political attention on road transport >> Initial momentum provided by dedicated group who recognised the need for a presence at Federal level as well as linking to state and sector organisations
1991 to 1994 Road Transport Forum Chairman:
>> March 1992 RTF incorporated as formal organisation
Bruce McIver
>> Major lobbying program launched to drive home the adverse impact of excessive diesel taxes
Chief Executive: Andrew Higginson
>> Completion of Self-Regulation Pilot Project >> Commencement of Team 200 including the development of: > A network of doctors to delivery quality health screening and counselling > A drug education program > A health survey > A best practice vehicle maintenance system > Innovative fatigue management system > Government support >> Independent research of studies into taxation, road funding and community attitudes >> Launch of $400,000 Mobile Safety Information Display Semitrailer with message of safety and professionalism >> Achieved significant government recognition for RTF initiated programs including: > Better truck rest areas on major highways through joint project with NSW RTA > Major involvement with Team 200, Road Transport Awareness Week and Enforcement Projects >> RTF Foundation Sponsors: BP Australia Pty Ltd, National Transport Insurance and Volvo Truck
>> 165
Putting safety first A history of the Australian Trucking Association
Often those who change history are unaware of the implications of their actions. This was the case when four trucking associations met in an Ansett Airlines hangar after a truck and bus crash in Grafton NSW had killed 21 people a month before. As the details of that crash emerged, the nation’s federal and state government transport industry regulators realised they were sitting on a time bomb. It was imperative they reined in a trucking industry that appeared to be out of control. Twenty years later, the industry has transformed itself by making an uncompromised commitment to safety. And the catalyst for that metamorphosis has been the body that rose from the Grafton crash victims’ ashes – the Australian Trucking Association, otherwise known as the ATA.