DRIVERS' FATIGUE * Australia - Truck drivers pushed to the limit

A study reveal long-haul truck drivers are being pushed to the limit to make ends meet

Sidney,Australia -Supply Chain -September 29, 2010: ... The Transport Workers Union has been given the preliminary findings of a study, funded by WorkCover NSW, shows drivers are frequently forced to break driving regulations due to workload pressure... “Anne Williamson’s study (*) shows that drivers on long haul are working an average of 68 hours a week while a almost a third are breaking all driving laws and doing more than 72 hours a week,” TWU National Secretary Tony Sheldon says... “We also have only 25 per cent of drivers paid of waiting times, and almost 60 per cent of drivers surveyed are not paid for loading or unloading. This pressure adds up and that is why we are seeing 60 per cent of drivers admit to ‘nodding off’ at the wheel over the last 12 months” ... While the study is not due for release until later this year, the TWU is using it to reiterate its call for a new remuneration structure for the trucking industry... “Truck drivers have no guarantee of full-cost recovery as it is. We need a system of safe rates across the country, where drivers can get all costs back for rising charges and fluctuating fuel prices, otherwise we are going to see rising economic pressure cause further unsafe practices,” Sheldon says... Prime Minister Julia Gillard was due to release a paper in July from the Safe Rates Advisory Group outlining recommendations to reform pay rates... The authors of a 2008 study on pay rates, Professor Michael Quinlan and Lance Wright QC, criticised those who deny a connection between low pay and poor safety outcomes... (* Study by University of NSW Professor Ann Williams and Rena Friswell from the NSW Injury Risk Management Research Centre)