Southern Cross Party Ltd

“New log book fines and demerit points for driving offences will now compound the driver shortage in the road transport sector in Queensland, not only are they ill conceived they are going to make life on the road impossible; demerit points for log book breaches will see many drivers lose their licences and hence their livelihood leaving families without an income.

Demerit points are recovered after three years, a long time for someone making a living as a professional driver, just four log book breaches will see drivers without a job or income but Premier Peter Beattie and Transport Minister Paul Lucas will still pick up their parliamentary salary with no regard for the real workers in this country.

The problem is not that drivers want to drive over the regulation driving hours as much as the fact that the government has not placed adequate heavy vehicle rest areas on the state’s highways, it is illegal to park in a built up area for more than an hour and illegal to park in an area that is not designated as a rest area.
The rest areas that are in existence are too far apart, too small or are being used by caravans & road builders to stockpile road base for road works, and this happens all too often.

The hard and fast rules require that rest breaks must be taken at regulated periods there is no tolerance for a lack of facilities by the enforcement officers, we would suggest that drivers stop where the rest break occurs on the highway, put out the triangles and take the required rest break, this of course is extremely dangerous and any responsible operator wouldn’t do that, but unfortunately that’s what it will come down to if you wish to keep your licence and your money”.

Another problem is the termination point for Road Trains, can someone in the Qld Government, Qld Transport or Main Roads explain how they can erect a sign terminating a Road Train Route and not provide infrastructure to support it.

The Government, The National Transport Commission and the Bureaucrats have been using the Road Transport Industry as a ‘Milking Cow’ for revenue and an excuse for making out that they are fair dinkum about safety, We need to be looking at disbanding the N.T.C. and removing road governance from the bureaucrats.

It seems that the Opposition Transport Spokesperson in the Coalition is in agreement with the Government on the issues of Log Book fines and demerit points, the silence in that corner is deafening, no wonder their support at the ballot box has gone through the floor.

Queensland is at present facing increased regulation, it’s a fair guess other states are coming under a similar attack, action is needed now.

The transport industry leaders in the Associations need to advertise a National Shutdown Date for a week in the News Papers and Trucking Publications around Australia and lobby hard to ensure that all sectors of industry comply.

Mick Pattel