Two Drivers Killed In Horror Crash; TWU Calls On Government To Support Solution To Crisis

The incident involved a head-on collision between two heavy vehicles at Rocky River, near Uralla this afternoon, according to police reports.

“My thoughts are with the families left devastated by this tragedy which has to be fully investigated. The Government’s own report shows truck driving has the highest fatality rates of any industry. It shows a system of safe rates would cut truck crashes by 28%. Yet the Government is opposed to this solution and as a result it is families and the wider community which are bearing the brunt,” said TWU National Secretary Tony Sheldon.

“Trucking is in real crisis. Hundreds of small transport businesses and owner drivers go bankrupt every year because of tight margins. The pay of many truck drivers is so low that lives are put at risk every day because of the pressure they are under to speed, drive long hours, drive fatigued and skip mandatory rest breaks. Yet the Government continues to play politics,” said TWU National Secretary Tony Sheldon.

“The Liberal Party and its allies in the Institute of Public Affairs make up statistics to justify their opposition to safe rates but nothing can cover up the horror of hundreds of people dying on the roads because of inaction,” he added.

In the 10 years to 2014 over 2,500 died in truck crashes. Last month 17 people died in truck crashes; in April there were 24 deaths; in March there were 25 deaths.