The Queensland floods are not only devastating for the community but also for the heavy vehicle operators who are battling to sustain those communities that have been cut off by the floods, forcing the drivers to take their rigs on very long diversions of 1000km or more to get urgent supplies through.
We had the same scenario in South Australia a couple of years ago when serious flooding cut off the route from the south to Darwin. In that case, we eventually secured alternative routes through NSW and Queensland to get around the floods by travelling more than 3000km extra, one way!
The strain that places on the heavy vehicle operators and their drivers, from longer hours required to complete the run and from the massive hike in costs, including for the 6000km worth of extra fuel, can destroy the heavy vehicle operator’s business.
This industry is famous for its great Australian tradition of doing what’s necessary to get the freight through and sustain affected communities that are utterly reliant upon the freight.
That comes at massive expense which can’t all be passed on the affected communities and which can’t be absorbed by the operators.
Governments need to recognise this and step in and provide the necessary economic support in such circumstances to ensure the heavy vehicle road freight sector can do the essential job that the country needs us to do – delivering the freight and sustaining communities impacted by the disaster.
The South Australian Road Transport Association supports the calls of our colleagues in the Queensland Trucking Association, not only in relation to the current flood crisis but in relation to future disasters that have similar impacts that threaten the economic capacity of operators to deliver and their ongoing viability.
- Steve Shearer is the Executive Officer of the South Australian Road Transport Association.