A NSW Perrottet government will slash the cost of heavy vehicle licence courses by up to 50 per cent if the Coalition wins the state election on March 25.
Premier Dominic Perrottet made the annoucement during a campaign trail media event at Divall’s Earthmoving and Bulk Haulage in Gouburn yesterday.
He said the discounted fees will apply to up 7000 drivers under 30 and is designed to get up to 2000 “new truckies on the road” and allow 5000 existing truckies to get behind the wheel of bigger rigs. Perrottet didn’t elaborate on exactly how the latter would happen, or how the proposed scheme would deal with inherent insurance and skill issues that would result.
Regional Transport Minister Sam Farraway told media that boosting truckie numbers will help get produce to supermarket shelves quicker, resulting in lower costs for producers and lower prices for families.
“We know the industry is feeling the pressure from worker and skills shortages especially in our regions, which is in turn putting pressure on our freight and logistics lines and driving up prices,” Farraway said.
“Slashing the cost of heavy vehicle licences courses by up to 50 per cent for people under the age of 30 will allow these young drivers to more easily upskill and upgrade to a multi-combination licence, which will allow them to drive bigger trucks like road trains and B-doubles, and will help tackle driver shortages.”
Perrottet also announced that the Coalition would appoint a Supply Chain Commissioner, if successful at the polls next month.
The commissioner would be tasked with driving reform on packaging in a bid for national consistency to reduce costs, and work to deliver the Coalition’s existing $300 million ‘Fast Tracking Freight’ program to tackle pinch points on the network.
Farraway and Perrottet were at Divall’s Carrick workshop to announce the 2023 Regional Apprentice and University Student Travel Card.
Around 51,000 regional apprentices and trainees, aged between 16 and 66, can now start saving up to $250 on fuel, taxis and public transport to help with the cost of travelling to work or study.
You can check your eligibility and apply via Services NSW.