Concerns for truck safety remain unheeded
new-zealand-labour-party
Wed Jul 06 2011 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Concerns for truck safety remain unheeded
Wednesday, 6 July 2011, 12:30 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Labour Party
Darien FENTON
Transport Safety Spokesperson
7 July 2011
Concerns for truck safety remain unheeded
The prosecution of a Waikato Truck Company and 21 of its drivers highlights the need for a rethink of driving conditions within the trucking industry, says Labour’s spokesperson for Transport Safety Darien Fenton.
“Recent charges for falsification of logbooks and exceeding working hours, aimed at ensuring safe driving, is an indication that truck safety needs stricter regulation,” Darien Fenton said.
“There is significant concern for safety in the industry which remains unheeded by the Government. National’s refusal to address the issues around contracting methods for owner-drivers, which lead to tight margins and low rates of pay, allows fertile ground for breaches of transport safety.
“Current contracting methods mean many truck drivers drive too fast, work hours well beyond safety limits and cut corners on maintenance so they are able to scratch together a living.
“Add to this rising costs and the reality that some drivers are working over 300 hours without a day off, and the most recent prosecutions seem understandable, if not acceptable.
“There is at least one truck related death every week in New Zealand and June was a particularly horrific month for truck accidents.
“Truck related fatal injury and non-injury crashes have a social cost of around $400 million every year, but the government is preoccupied with the narrow focus of ‘catching’ drivers forced to work long hours because they are struggling to make ends-meet.
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“This is ambulance at the bottom of the cliff policy, literally.
“Labour supports the proper enforcement of driving hours and logbooks, but until the underlying issue of the link between driver remuneration, independent contracting and safety is tackled, we will continue to see the laws being stretched and the safety of truckers and the driving public at risk.
“Labour supports a petition calling for an inquiry into the link between remuneration and safety in the road freight industry, which will be presented to the House of Representatives shortly.”
ENDS
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