NRC sees glimmer on driver shortage

NATIONAL ROAD CARRIERS, NEW Zealand’s largest road transport organisation, is cautiously optimistic that its e orts to get more drivers into the road freight industry will bear fruit.

CEO David Aitken says that the work done over the last 18 months is starting to pay o – reporting to last month’s NRC annual meeting that the progress has followed on from the NRC-originated Road Transport Workforce Development strategy.

It led to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment con rming the inclusion of the road freight transport sector in the Sector Workforce Engagement Programme (SWEP).

at in turn led to the formation of the Road Freight Transport Group – including representation from all three transport associations.

e appointment of SWEP co-ordinator Steve Divers to lead recruitment initiatives was important, says Aitken: “e proof will be in the results, most of which won’t be seen for some years.”

Reducing the driver shortage will, he adds, “only happen with the support of the whole industry.”

e other major industry concern, says Aitken, is the challenge of operating in and around Auckland with the constantly increasing volumes of tra c and people. NRC members’ funds are being spent on research into the “bene ts of decongestion.” Explains Aitken: “Congestion in the country’s largest city is a major problem and after the driver shortage, one of the biggest issues we hear about.

“e aim of the research is to identify the scale of productivity gains available from decongesting the road network.”

He says that the NRC’s core business will continue to be advocacy, advice and business support for members – and providing them with value: “But we will also look at funding areas of importance to the industry, hence we will continue to fund various projects and research.”

T&D