News

Truck drivers invited to have their say on driver shortages

As part of an international research project about global driver shortages, Australian heavy vehicle operators are being invited to share their views.

And the National Road Transport Association (NatRoad) is urging drivers to take part.

“The International Road Transport Union (IRU) is undertaking its annual snapshot of the world’s driver shortages and thanks to the partnership with NatRoad, we are able to include Australia’s views for the first time,” said NatRoad chief executive officer Warren Clark.

“As the sole Australian member representing road freight in the IRU, which is the United Nations-affiliated body representing road transport, NatRoad is driving local participation, helping to ensure we have the latest data on Australia’s experiences.

“The shortage of drivers is one of the most pressing issues facing our industry today and it’s important to know where Australia stands in comparison with other countries.

“We need localised data to be able to advocate for change with our own governments, through a clear understanding of how the shortages are impacting our industry and our operators.”

Participation is open to everyone across the industry, with the survey taking less than 10 minutes to complete.

Clark said NatRoad will share the findings with industry after July and use them to have evidence-based conversations with regulators and governments.

“Among some of the issues we are keen to explore are improved driver training pathways and broader support for making road transport more attractive for new drivers and for people transitioning from other industries,” Clark said.

Last year’s report found that truck driver shortages have increased globally, with more than three million unfilled truck driver jobs, or 7 per cent of total positions, in the 36 countries studied.

To take part in the research project, click here before May 31, 2024.

5 Comments

  1. As a driver trainer in Brisbane for almost 15 years. The QLD Transport department are a major part of the problem with the driver shortage. The fact is they don’t have enough assessor’s and the wait time can be up to 3 months to get into a test slot. It needs a major update of the system to make it more streamlined. We as driver trainers could be training and assessing our own students to eliminate the delays of using the TMR. It’s very outdated and this needs to change to make the process much quicker and streamlining the process of getting a heavy vehicle licence in Qld. I’d like the transport companies to get on board with the RTO’S to push for the change necessary to get drivers into the industry much quicker.

  2. Hmm. Let’s see? Would you do a job that if you made an honest mistake cost you your wages? What about if you had an accident and worksafe won’t investigate it because it’s not on private land, so you end up wearing the blame because you can’t afford to fight it, and the media will blame you anyway? What about the people above you not taking responsibility for something out of your control like dodgy maintenance? What about having to stop where there are no amenities because of a government issued document that an office worker designed and implemented? These are just a few of the reasons that have been around forever.
    Can’t understand why we can’t get people into our industry, can you?

  3. We should be payed the same as the mining of more to many day are big should only be from WEN you start the truck till you switch it off 16 is to much 12 work it’s enough should take home 2500 to 3000 aweek for 12 00 a day

  4. Hello, I am a MC trailer truck driver from Algeria. I want to work in Australia. Is there a change in skill level 3 in ANZSCO to apply for a work visa?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Send this to a friend