* More longhaul truckies needed on the road
-- There is a desperate shortage of long-haul truck drivers and the situation is only going to get worse, transport groups say.
no caption. National Road Carriers - the association which represents the industry - said the average age was about 55, and drivers were not getting any younger... Statistics New Zealand figures showed the number of drivers increased only from 24,490 to 26,380 in the past decade... National Road Carriers chief executive David Aitken said hundreds of trucks were sitting unused in freight yards because of the shortage... He said the problem was not pay - the average wage for people with class five truck licences was about $30/hour - but rather a lack of people progressing through the licensing system... Robert Reid, the general secretary of First Union, which represents drivers, said younger people on lower licences often could not afford the appropriate training. He said one solution would be for the government to subsidise that training... Mr Aitken said, the problem is about to get worse with the amount of freight predicted to grow up to 75 per cent in the next 20 to 30 years. And that the number of people getting their class 5 licences is not keeping up with increase in freight... National Road Carriers was working with the industry to devise a plan to make truck driving a more attractive job...
(Photo: 123rf.com) -- Auckland, NZ - Radio NZ - 26 January 2016Labels: truckers shortage, trucking industry news Australia and N Zealand
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