Quote:
Originally Posted by gman
I work in the Interstate Tspt industry and have done so for 20+ years.
Everyone has brought up valid points but most have a misconception of the underlying problem.
The tspt game was generally and old mans industry without much new blood entering it.
Since the new laws covering off on log books, now called work diaries, all the old blood are rapidly leaving the industry.
As you can well imagine, most drivers are not Rhodes scholars and most of us would have issues with spelling names of a fair few towns around Australia' but why would RTA's need to fine a driver $600+ for incorrectly spelling "Coonabarabran" in their work diary.
Drivers must not drive any more than 12 hrs in a 24 hr period.
They must have 4 night breaks with 2 being consecutive in a 14 day period.
The 14 day period is a rolling period.
Work hours a rounded up in 15 min intervals and rest breaks are rounded down.
There are cameras up and down the Hume that calculate the time that you have passed through them to work out if you have sped between them.
Drivers can only drive 5.25hrs and then need a 15 min break etc etc.
Then they have time slots to contend with.
This is only the tip of iceberg with the rules and regs for standard hours, then you move into Basic Fatigue and Advanced Fatigue Management.
Any work diary breach can cost $600+ plus loss points.
Drivers are behind the * ball before they even turn the key.
We now have a new unexperienced lot of drivers entering the industry through job losses in other sectors filling the gaps left as it is all getting to hard.
This country relys on road tspt - Rail is not viable for the eastern seaboard where time is critical - need to get std gauge across all states forst also.
In my opinion, it is going to get worse before it gets better.
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Finally a Truckie who is talking sense about the problem who knows that it is not just a figment of us car driving people's imagination. I think that someone has a stick too firmly inserted where the sun don't shine to fine you for not spelling a name that I couldn't spell well with a dictionary and a thesaurus together. While the other rules are strict I think they are necessary for your safety as well as ours well I mainly want to say that I for one hope that the next Truckie behind me is you hope you have a great XMAS and get to your loved ones in one piece and have a great 2010
