A veteran 65-year-old owner-operator has found exorbitant costs so much that he’s now had to switch to working as an employee at a road transport company.
Spy spoke to the gent about how his life has been affected by the decision in the twilight years of his truck driving career.
“I had been an owner-driver for the past 20 years but things had become so bad that I was forced into getting a job with a big company. Clients kept wanting to drop rates and fuel prices were going up so I have parked my truck up,” he said.
In total, this fellow has been a driver for 43 years and did enjoy the freedom of the road when he was his own boss.
“Now I am working for somebody and getting a wage. But I don’t have to worry about paying the bills and trying to collect money from clients who were slow,” he revealed.
The truckie now drives a Mack hauling cattle from remote properties to meatworks or ports for live export.
“It is different as now I work for a boss but the company is good and the money okay,” he said.
Although he hasn’t ruled out returning as an owner-operator in the future. “I will wait and see if things improve,” he said.
His story is similar to other owner-operators Spy has yarned to.
This is happening more often and part of the plan to have only the big operators when they get fuel at half the price. And what do you expect when linfox have big pull in government, rising rego insurance wages it never ends. If they can sell fuel linfox toll cube centurion at half what everyone else pays why can’t we all be on a level playing field.
I don’t know what the fuel costs are in Australia or what drivers are paid per km or the freight rates are but here in Canada we’re saddled with Punjabi truck drivers and they cut rates too the point that we can’t haul it.
It’s all a ploy by the big companies to employ new Australians.
Jeff that’s what’s happening here in OZ . Add the carnage we’re suffering the last few years makes for an industry like we have never seen before. I’m 50 years in interstate and recently parked all my Mack’s up.
Greed runs this world, the bigger they are the greedier they get!
Not the first one to do it, won’t be the last one to do it. Glad I’ve never bothered getting into the world of owner driving.