Someone said a little over a month ago that it was four weeks to Christmas. It hasn’t seemed like 12 months have past already, as we haven’t really solved any of the problems in road transport identified in the previous year.
Another year gone and what have we achieved?
Transport companies are collapsing every week; drivers are getting more and more frustrated and road safety is evidently worse than ever.
The challenges facing us all in 2026 should not be that difficult to fix if we had the political will. It would be encouraging to see the ATO get themselves organised to deal with the prolific sham contracting by tweaking their data sharing capability better and executing proper investigations into those who are flagged by the cross referencing of ABNs, BAS, ASIC filings and work/student visa records.
We are hearing of many drivers ceasing to drive, moving to mining or some sector that removes them from the highway and risk of inexperienced or incompetent drivers. Whilst some noise has been made about licensing and training, there hasn’t been much else reported on this front.
Licencing reforms should be simple amendments to the eligibility requirements of each licence class. However, there seems a stubbornness with getting the states to act, despite the constant accidents and highway disruptions that occur when a major highway is closed.
Training assessments may have had a shake-up, but what have we achieved in this department? Are RTOs still going to be trusted to assess the students honestly and thoroughly? I do not believe the current RTO assessments will produce any better outcomes.
My immediate solution would be that driving assessments must be returned to a government agency who are not under the financial duress to push students through as fast as possible for profit or business viability. The general public expect more from state licensing agencies than we are currently experiencing.
Long-distance drivers continue to have a tough time out on the highways with increased traffic, lack of parking and the challenge of getting decent food to eat.
State planning seems intent on pushing trucks as far out of town as they possibly can by reducing in town parking. More and more towns no longer cater for anything over 19m, all the while being totally reliant on road transport to survive.
This appears to be a state planning issue, however with dogged determination, we still cannot move the bureaucracy to recognise the urgency for solutions in driver fatigue, compliance and public safety.
The Sydney mega truck stop is still being spoken about, while drivers continue to struggle to get proper rest in Sydney and battle for parking spots in and around the major truckstops.
It’s a total s@#$show, meanwhile law enforcement continue their narrative of safer roads by enforcing compliance. Compliant truckies need compliant infrastructure, it’s as simple as that!
What is going on at Port Botany and at Eastern Creek is a sad indictment on how complicated and bogged down government execution of great ideas has become.
One final wish I have for 2026 is for everybody to communicate and work together out there on the job.
The current level of childish behaviours and language on the UHF is beyond a joke.
Truck drivers want to be treated with respect and dignity, yet we wonder why law enforcement and law makers treat us the way they do.
I could not imagine any airline pilot, emergency services and professional job executing their skills using the language that many truckies use. We must do better if we want the respect.
Have we really lost the entire year of 2025 with nothing to show for it, or are we gathering the energy to launch into a boomer of a 2026?
It’s our choice. It’s up to us to hold ourselves accountable. I love the term penned by former US Navy Seal Jocko Wilink, “Extreme Ownership”. Fixing a problem starts with yourself.
Be safe everyone and please remember, there are no prizes for being first on the dock.
- Trevor Warner is an experienced long-distance truckie and administrator of the popular Facebook group The Drivers Advocate.