Click through to read more about licencing changes in South Australia and our wrap up of the ATA Conference.
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With the election finally here, it will be good to see an end to the campaigning and some stability return to our government. Whoever wins this weekend has a massive job ahead of them, and we’ll certainly be keen to keep them accountable and ensure they deliver on their pledges.
This week, the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) held their annual conference,
Trucking Australia 25, in Adelaide. As part of the lead-up to the event, they held a general council meeting where the ALRTA put forward a motion for the industry to support a national position on recent driver licensing changes introduced in South Australia.
South Australia has introduced a change that no longer recognises overseas heavy vehicle driving experience for drivers seeking an MC licence. The change applies to all countries except New Zealand.
Before applying for an MC licence, overseas drivers must now either:
● Hold a South Australian HR or HC licence for at least 12 months, or
● Complete the new MC Licence Program.
The ALRTA sought ATA support to see this South Australian position adopted nationally.
AUSTROADS — an independent advisory group to the states on roads and road management — is currently working on this topic. The ATA council agreed to support the ALRTA’s position and will seek backing from the new federal transport minister after the election to adopt the South Australian changes across all states.
While this may only be an interim measure until the AUSTROADS recommendations are finalised, the council agreed it was an important step towards improving road safety in the meantime.
In international news, Donald Trump has mandated that all foreign drivers in the United States must demonstrate English language proficiency. It will be interesting to watch how this development might influence the AUSTROADS announcement here.
Feedback presented by the ATA from a roundtable with foreign drivers also showed strong support for robust licensing and training standards. Many foreign drivers themselves are keen to be properly trained to operate safely on Australian roads. As the industry looks to the future, foreign drivers will play an important role, and it was encouraging to see the ATA being proactive in building strong communication and advocating for higher training standards.
Another highlight from the ATA conference was the induction of Jim Riordan (owner of Riordan Grains) and his father Robert Riordan (owner of Riordan Fuels) as Kenworth Legends. Keep an eye out for the interview with Robert and Jim on the Copy Southbound podcast — Bruce Gunter interviewed them live at the conference, sharing a terrific story of how their family built two outstanding Australian businesses.
Congratulations to Robert, Jim, and the Riordan family — a true Australian trucking success story.
Finally, on a sadder note, I’d like to acknowledge the passing of George Johnston of Toowoomba.
George was a former LRTAQ President, a long-time ALRTA council member, and a passionate supporter of TruckCare. He was heavily involved in the establishment of TruckCare in the early 2000s, and his passion and commitment to the industry were always engaging and inspiring. George’s legacy will be long remembered within the association.
Our sincere condolences to all of George’s family.
Until next week, stay safe.
Anthony
TOGETHER WE ARE STRONGER.