David Smith is to step down as chair of the Australian Trucking Association at the end of this month.
He will be replaced by Mark Parry, managing director of Ron Finemore Transport, on May 1.
Smith, who is also managing director of D&S Smith Haulage, a family-owned transport company based in SA, made the announcement at the ATA’s annual conference, Trucking Australia 2024.
“This will be my last opening address at this conference,” he said.
“I have decided that I will not be running for my position again at the end of this term.”
Smith was chair of the ATA for the past four years, after being elected in May 2020.
In that time, the transport industry faced drought, bushfires, floods, and of course, the pandemic.
“Despite these crises, the ATA has been on the front foot, advancing our 2021-2024 strategic priorities,” Smith said.
“Achievements include: securing the government’s rest area fund and the steering committee with industry representation, supporting action in the high court to prevent state governments from imposing their own inconsistent road user charges on electric vehicles, delivering mandatory advanced braking for new trucks and trailers, and negotiating important protections in the government’s plan to enable the Fair Work Commission to issue road transport borders.”
Speaking at the ATA’s conference in Canberra this morning, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King thanked Smith for his collaboration with the government and everything he achieved in the role.
“What a four years it has been David – your two terms in the job have not been dull!” she said.
“Importantly, though, you haven’t just dealt with the problems of the day, you have found solutions and driven reforms that will last for decades to come.
“Personally I want to thank you for the very constructive but also very respectful way that you’ve always dealt with me, my office and my department.
“Without you, we couldn’t have addressed truck widths and we couldn’t have provided a certain number of road user charging.”