Industry Issues

Engage, Engage, Engage!

There’s a lot going on in the regulation and legislation space in the next few years and the trucking industry will need to heed the clarion call to Engage, Engage, Engage! Unless, of course, we want to repeat the mistakes of the past and carry on the way we have for the past forty years.
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ESC, PBS, Linfox, Truck Classes and Roller Brake Testing

Among the topics in the news this week from Diesel News are ESC, PBS, Linfox, Truck Classes and Roller Brake Testing. The Australian Government should require new trucks and trailers to be fitted with stability control technology and should do it fast, according to the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) and the Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association (ALRTA). Geoff Crouch, ATA Chair, said electronic stability control is a vehicle safety system that monitors the stability and sideways acceleration of a heavy vehicle, and kicks in to brake the vehicle if it detects a rollover starting.
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Talk Directly to the Problem

David Coonan is one of those people who would always talk directly to the problem in his long career associated with the trucking industry. He is a passionate man who does not have a problem with calling a spade a spade. At heart, he is someone who has a sharp intellect and a big heart to go with his passion for the industry. His time at the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) saw him battling the legislators and bureaucrats, toe to toe, on a daily basis.
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Linfox Appointment, VW/Navistar, Tesla, TMC, Hydrogen Trucks and a New Scania Team

The latest from Diesel News this week includes a Linfox Appointment, VW/Navistar, Tesla, TMC, Hydrogen Trucks and a New Scania Team, plus 3D Printing and Strong Truck Sales. Terry Quinnell has been appointed Linfox President – Retail after 40 years’ experience in the logistics industry. Quinnell began his career as a Linfox driver in 1978, and has managed some of Linfox’s largest customers as Vice President – Retail, plus spent nine years as General Manager – Woolworths. He recently led the development and implementation of Linfox’s new subcontractor management system FOXLink.
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A New Perspective on Trucking

Sometimes we are too close to our own industry – we need a new perspective on trucking. In its submission to the Inquiry into National Freight and Supply Chain Priorities, the Australian Logistics Council (ALC) has come up with an interesting comparison. It is looking at the freight industry from the consumer’s point of view, in the same way as it perceives the energy industry.
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Epic Fail by the ATO, ACCC Involved in Road Tolls and National Harmonisation

This week has seen an Epic Fail by the ATO, ACCC Involved in Road Tolls and National Harmonisation coming onto the agenda in a real way. According to the Australian Trucking Association (ATA), the epic size of the tax office’s failure to consult about its decision to slash employee truck driver travel expenses has got industry associations up in arms. During the 2017–18 income year, the tax office will allow employee truck drivers to claim just $55.30 per day in travel expenses (excluding accommodation) without detailed receipts. In 2016–17, the amount allowed was $97.40. In the same determination, the tax office increased the reasonable food and drink allowance for comparable employees in other industries from $106.90 per day to $109.35 per day.
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