LRTAWA – Are good road conditions a pipe dream?

LRTAWA by David Fyfe, President, Livestock and Rural Transport Association of Western Australia (Inc)

In response to questions about poor road conditions on some of our major freight routes, a Department of Transport official recently commented that we shouldn’t be critical of small sections of substandard roads when so much had been invested in large stretches of the network overall, or words to that effect.

Since that statement I have pondered more than usual about what we as an industry will accept as a benchmark for road conditions. Do we want small sections of road built and maintained to a high standard or are we prepared to accept longer sections of road at reduced quality?

In my opinion we should aim for the highest standard available even if this means smaller sections of road are addressed.

In 2021, Australia's largest annual workplace mental health survey revealed that transport, logistics, and postal industries are ranked as the worst in Australia for mental health, with the industry score declining year on year.

Other research has shown that truck drivers represent the second highest occupational group, after construction workers, at risk of suicide.

Poor mental health can adversely affect decision-making processes, causing momentary lapses in concentration and even causing drivers to crash.

The importance of developing effective strategies to support the mental health and wellbeing needs of drivers and other workers in the industry cannot be overemphasised.

To align with National Safe Work