Italian truckie Marco Marciano, 33, would love to drive road trains full-time in Australia if he could.
The former hospitality worker fell in love with the trucks on a trip to WA’s northern region a few years back and promptly set about getting his MC licence.
He started out in a heavy rigid, doing deliveries around Perth.
He soon graduated to an MC and moved into the mining sector, driving triple and quad road trains and delivered mining equipment from an Esperance base all the way up to Newman and Port Hedland.
“I was lucky because the company put their hopes in me and threw me in the deep end,” Marciano said.
“I was working hard – it was my dream job.”
After seven months he had to return to Perth for personal reasons but quickly found work again with Zenith Low Loaders as a float and oversize driver where he developed his skills even further.
When his work visa expired, however, he had to leave Australia for a month and return on a student visa – he’s now studying mechanics – which only allows him to work 24 hours a week.
Zenith got back in touch with Marciano about resuming his role when the WA Government launched a state-wide Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) visa system for truck drivers earlier this year.
The DAMA provides access to more overseas workers than the standard skilled migration programs, which currently exclude truck driving.
But after a few months of no word back from authorities, Marciano said Zenith was sadly forced to fill the vacant seat with someone else.
He’s since found driving work again for Cahill Transport doing local general freight driving singles and B-doubles, and is grateful for the opportunity, but would love to return to full-time road train work.
Ideally, Marciano would like to see truck driving recognised as a trade and put on the Core Skills Occupation List, providing overseas drivers pass a strict local testing regime.
Meanwhile, he said the state government needs to make it easier for companies to access the WA DAMA system and have their applications processed.
“It’s very hard for companies to actually get the level of agreement with immigration to get approved.
“We need people for the industry, it doesn’t matter where they come from, as long as they know how to operate the vehicle.
“I struggle to stay in Australia, even though I have the skills highly required here.
“I think we [foreign drivers] need to join the table to help the industry, even if is going to infuriate many old school Aussies.”
WA’s Department of Training and Workforce Development told Big Rigs the new WA DAMA is the fifth visa system of its kind for WA and will complement the existing DAMAs and support the whole state.
“Registrations for the WA DAMA are in place and it will be operational in the coming weeks,” a spokesperson said.
By introducing a WA DAMA, the state government is opening a migration pathway to all Western Australian employers for truck drivers from overseas to work in WA, to help meet the transport industry’s workforce needs, the spokesperson said.
“Every effort is being made to process applications to the endorsement stage as quickly as possible.”
The Department of Training and Workforce Development has been running information sessions to support employers in the regions, with additional assistance available through WA Migration Services, which includes:
- The Skilled Migrant Employment Register – a free initiative that provides an automated job matching function allowing employers with current job vacancies to connect with verified skilled migrants.
- Regional settlement services to assist migrants to establish their life in WA.