The nation's peak trucking body has warned there could be as many as 28,000 unfilled jobs in the transport industry that threatened the smooth continued operation of a national logistics industry that came under great strain during 2022.
National Road Transport Association chief executive officer Warren Clark told Flow on Friday they have been advocating to address the labour shortage, in the short term by bringing drivers in from overseas:
"We've been pushing hard to get this addressed. It's an issue that the government has to address. They are looking at bringing in an apprenticeship, which is a long-term solution.
"We need immediate action on drivers right now. We've got about 25 to 28,000 positions vacant in transport on Seek(.com.au) as we speak. It's a major issue in our industry. If we can't get drivers to drive the vehicles we are going to have a problem across the country."
Hear the full interview with NatRoad CEO Warren Clark on the Flow podcast player below:
Meanwhile, the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator and South Australian department of transport and infrastructure have approved the BA-triple combination for use on the state's road train network. NHVR CEO Sal Petroccito said on Friday:
"The NHVR assessed the dynamic safety performance of BA-triples and found their handling ability to match that of AB-triples, which already have access.
“While the network currently only includes South Australian state-controlled roads, we’re working with DIT and local governments to progressively extend it."
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