Truckies Set To Strike Over Road Deaths

A spate of road deaths is leading truckies in New South Wales to threaten strike action before Christmas unless unreasonable timetables forced onto drivers are reviewed.

Two drivers died in separate accidents at Urunga on the state's North Coast and Mittagong on the Hume Highway.

The NSW state secretary of the Transport Workers Union (TWU), Tony Sheldon, says WorkCover should investigate the factors that contributed to the recent crashes.

The TWU is demanding that the leading players in the industry be accountable, including clients who often set the unrealistic schedules placed on drivers. Drivers who cannot meet the demands of these schedules are often forced to pay penalties and lose contracts.

Drivers are calling for WorkCover to prosecute operators and clients, which include some of Australia's biggest retailers, who pressure drivers to meet unrealistic demands.

Holiday Road Death Risk

As Australians hit the road over the holiday season the TWU is concerned about the impact on truck drivers as well as other road users.

"Drivers don't choose to drive 70 hours at a stretch," says TWU spokesperson Scott Connolly. "The people controlling the scheduling, the operators and the clients, control what happens out on the highway."

Industry sources say that drivers are expected to do the trip between Melbourne and Brisbane, a distance of just over 2000 kilometres, in as little as 16 hours.

"You can only get from point A to point B so fast and for so long and stay within the law.

"It's all to easy for the clients to say 'it's not our responsibility'. Well, it is their responsibility, and until they accept that responsibility nothing will change. More truck drivers will literally be driven to their deaths.

The TWU is calling for WorkCover to launch "real prosecutions" against those that are responsible, including those at the top of the chain, the clients that supply operators with their cargoes.

WorkCover has indicated it will be investigating the recent fatalities on NSW roads.

The TWU says that it will await WorkCover's response before taking action.

Tarcutta: "could be wiped off the map"

Meanwhile, the TWU has echoed the concerns from the Mayor of Wagga about facilities for truck drivers at Tarcutta, which is located at the halfway point between Sydney and Melbourne and is a popular truck stop.

Tarcutta could be wiped off the map if a truck carrying explosives has an accident in the town, according to Wagga mayor Kevin Wales.

Councillor Wales has called for the NSW and Federal governments to sort out differences over planning and funding for the long-awaited Tarcutta truck changeover facility.

The TWU is determined to see that any improvement to the frequent stopping place has appropriate facilities for drivers. The current set-up has seen three fatalities this year, which the TWU puts down to the poor state of existing facilities.

"Tarcutta has been a sore point on this industry for a while,' says Scott Connolly of the TWU. "We've got enough to face without having to put up with poor facilities."

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Last modified: Tuesday, 15-Nov-2005 20:37:37 EST