The issue of driver and animal welfare was high on the agenda at the recent Livestock and Rural Transporters Association of Queensland and Australian Livestock Rural Transport Association conference.
ALRTA driver and animal welfare committee chair Graeme Hoare, who is compliance manager for Martins Stock Haulage said looking after the safely of drivers and other road users was the number one priority.
He said the ALRTA was in the process of making a series of podcasts for the livestock trucking industry to use to work towards improving driver safety and animal welfare standards.
He said the ALRTA chose to educate drivers through a series of podcast which they could listen to while working as this would provide a better way educate them as they are spread out across the the country.
"This will help them to deal with what happens on the road and what to do when 'hell happens," he said.
"These podcasts will be released and launched in early 2025, he said.
He said livestock transport drivers are in a league of their own.
"They drive on on the worst of the road network to collect livestock from the farm gate to deliver them to their destination," he said.
"The industry has some serious potholes to negotiate, with ageing and damaged infrastructure, a shortage of skilled drivers and maintenance costs on the increase."
He said industry also needed to protect its drivers and train them on livestock handling techniques such as loading and unloading cattle and animal welfare while in transit.
"So far the association has done some good work in that with our standards for loading ramps and forcing yards and implementing the effluent code of practice with the NHVR," he said.
He said all Australian truck drivers were treated badly during COVID lockdown, while they were proving they were an essential service and kept the nation rolling.
"Really that treatment has not improved for our drivers since then," he said.
"The big issue we are finding is that many of the roadhouses closed down during that time, and now you can't get a decent feed anywhere.
"Those roadhouses while remained open have converted to fast food chains now."
He said a lot of the drivers are now cooking a feed on the side of the road and that is a big change.
Mr Hoare said they really needed to attract drivers to the industry and educate them of all aspects of safety.
Helen Walker
Helen is the Toowoomba-based journalist who loves nothing better than covering anything horse sport related, however she covers all commodities and personality yarns. Over the years she has lived in Brisbane, Rockhampton, Longreach and Roma filing stories for the 'bible of the bush'. Contact 0459 827414.
Helen is the Toowoomba-based journalist who loves nothing better than covering anything horse sport related, however she covers all commodities and personality yarns. Over the years she has lived in Brisbane, Rockhampton, Longreach and Roma filing stories for the 'bible of the bush'. Contact 0459 827414.
