Big Rigs recently featured a story about a farmer being issued with a $398 fine for carrying 600kg of unrestrained hay bales on a public road.
As both an ex-farmer of many years and a current transport business operator of over 40 years I would like to comment on the subject.
I am very familiar with the realities of the rural community and rural commerce as well as those of the modern-day transport arena. Among those that make up the modern rural community lie some very astute business people.
These select groups operate their businesses with professionalism second to none in this country. They also have respect and support for current Workplace Health and Safety covenants, and their workplace safety standards are a credit to them.
Yet, according to the ABC in Queensland, there has been one death and one serious injury relating from the uncontrolled movement of large hay bales.
Furthermore, Farm Safe Australia has just issued a bulletin warning of the danger of uncontrolled movement of round bales.
These recent tragic events support my point of view that the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has let public safety down by the lack of follow-through of this case.
Let me assure you all that today’s farmer has it far easier than any transport operator in business in Australia today.
Let’s make a few comparisons.
1. Farmers have access to heavily subsidised road registration fees. A commercial transport operator pays up to 10 times the price of registration as that of their rural counterpart and in many cases travels less annual distance than the modern rural operator.
2. Farmers are often heavily supported in times of disaster such as flood, fire, drought, etc, with very generous government subsidies and grants. When it comes to the transport industry though we aren’t as fortunate. The transport industry is currently in serious stress with driver shortages, over regulation when balanced with the revenues available to pay for these regulation requirements, the spiralling cost and availability of spare parts (even for the major American brands), a road network in a state of very poor condition that inflicts a much higher maintenance cost to the operator verses that from 10 years ago, etc. However, despite the current crisis in the transport industry, I am not aware of any government support packages available to the transport sector. I do however read about the daily toll of transport businesses forced into liquidation.
3. On average as a farmer, it is highly likely that the prime value of their land asset has at least doubled over the last 8 years. As a comparison, the transport operator’s assets have on average devalued by at least 50 per cent over that same timeline.
4. As a farmer they are entitled to larger fuel rebates that we in the transport industry have access to.
5. As a farmer in many states, you can turn your registration on and off like a light switch. If our vehicles sit still for a month we don’t have access to these same schemes. If it were available to the transport industry it would be of enormous value to us.
6. Over the last 15 years the capital cost of transport equipment has doubled yet the current transport rates remain almost unchanged in that same period. That’s what most transport operators face at the moment. As a farmer are you getting the same price for your commodities today that you were 15 years ago?
I currently have a driver with nearly 50 years of continually licensed heavy vehicle operation with one of the cleanest heavy vehicle driving histories in the nation.
He doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke, doesn’t use funny substances and looks after his health. He recently was guilty of making an innocent error in his logbook. Guess what the maximum fine for this error is?
The maximum fine for this logbook ERROR currently before the courts stands at $20,000!
Rural operators might be entitled to subsidised fuel, heavily subsidised and flexible registration arrangements, generous government support packages and tax-free capital gain but the law should apply equally to everyone.
All operators, including the farmers, should be subject to the same standards and the NHVR should have the conviction to support that standard.
Currently the NHVR appears to pick on the weak muted voices and seemingly reward those who generate some uncomfortable press for them.
- Bill Shannon is the Director of Compliant Transport Group, Toowoomba.