Victory for drivers
NORTHERN livestock transporters have won a long-running battle for more flexible work arrangements that will allow them to drive an extra two hours a day when they’re moving cattle.
The new Livestock Transport Fatigue Management Scheme will enable drivers to work up to 14 hours on a day as part of a two-week work cycle.
Under the existing system, operators can only drive 12 hours a day over a one-week cycle. They then have to take a seven-hour rest break while cattle stand in trailers.
Townsville livestock transport operator Liz Schmidt has been fighting for the more flexible arrangements for years, and has worked closely with the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator to come up with a system that balances driver welfare with animal welfare.
She said the announcement that the first operator had been accredited under the new scheme was great news for livestock transporters.
“The flexibility we’ve been fighting for is within reach of all livestock operators as long as they abide by all the rules.”
Mrs Schmidt said she was applying for accreditation for her own company, Schmidt’s Livestock Transport, and hoped other livestock transporters would do the same.
One of her drivers, Kevin Leeson, said the more flexible arrangements would make working life easier for transporters.
“Those guys that run out from Mt Isa to Townsville, quite often you’ll see them parked out on the pad at Mingela or Woodstock.
“They’re only 15 or 20 minutes out of Townsville but they can’t get through because the satellite trackers are on the truck and the authorities would be on to them if they drove through. It’s very frustrating, especially if you’re almost home.”
National Heavy Vehicle Regulator executive director of productivity and safety, Geoff Casey, said the new scheme provided operators with a template to manage their work and rest hours in a way that suited the demands of their job.
“The template approach reduces the red tape needed to gain accreditation while providing operators with fatigue management practices that balance efficiency with safety.”
Mrs Schmidt stressed that livestock drivers were not seeking to engage in unsafe practices.
“We don’t want to drive non-stop; we don’t want any more hours ... we just want the flexibility to divide our hours up over a longer period of time.
“That’s what we’ve finally got with this scheme.”