Trucks off the road because of interest rates

[Calaber]

An article in the news last week referred to the large number of heavy and medium size trucks being seized by banks because of defaulting on loans. The figure given was about 3,500 nation-wide, I think. There was the first auction of some of these vehicles in Sydney recently.

I wonder what effect this number of heavy vehicles being off the road has had on commerce? It wouldn't make any difference to traffic congestion,but if the effect on trade was negligable, is it a small indication that there are more heavy vehicles on our roads than there need to be? Our railway networks are run down, but do we really need all those trucks to make up for the railways' deficiencies?

[commsirac]

I wonder what effect this number of heavy vehicles being off the road has had on commerce? It wouldn't make any difference to traffic congestion,but if the effect on trade was negligable, is it a small indication that there are more heavy vehicles on our roads than there need to be? ?

I suspect you are right. Possibly(i dont really know) there has been some rationalisation in some quarters where it might be decided to buy more locally(or not at all) due to the cost of transporting perhaps a cheaper item from further away.

[minux]

Most of these trucks will be owner/drivers, amazing how many people buy a truck and trailer and sub themselves out. I work in the Logistics industry and what these small guys make is peanuts. It is easy to understand why they are being seized. That being said, even with a great rail network Woolwortsh,Coles etc will always keep their Statewide DC's simply because it is cheaper to have trucks travel witht he freight interstate than it is to have a local pickup, interstate train, local delivery.

[pow3rslave]

is the decrease in truck numbers/rise in fuel costs part of why they want to run b-triples?

[Calaber]

Minux' point about most of the trucks being seized from small time owner/drivers is right. It's quite possible for any dill to get a truck driving license, then buy a heavy vehicle on hire purchase or other big and expensive loan, then go into business for himself. Problem is, is his contribution to an already under-utilised industry really required? Should there be some form of rationalisation on the number of trucks of a certain capacity that can be registered within one State? Would this help to reduce overcrowding of our roads at key times of the day?

Or, in our democratic society, is it just a case of people being able to decide what they want to do for a living, even if it ultimately leads to their financial ruination and unemployemtn?

[Hillerus]

Should there be some form of rationalisation on the number of trucks of a certain capacity that can be registered within one State? Would this help to reduce overcrowding of our roads at key times of the day?

Perhaps this same idea can be utilised for car drivers too? Trucks are on the road because thats where they work. If you had a look around major roads, excluding industrial estates, there are a hell of a lot more cars on the roads then trucks. There is public transport in place for people, how many of those drive to work when a bus or train would do the job for them? Or even car-pooling? Besides getting you to and from work, what other function does your car have? Can you say the same for trucks?

Trucks generally don't travel on the road empty, there is no money in that. So the number of trucks on the road must be adequate for industry demands.

Also, saying any "dill" can go and get a truck license, is that really the case? Could you drive a 18 speed non-synchro gearbox without crunching any gears? Or an earlier Spicer gearbox with multiple split changes in each gear? Or reverse a b-double?

Perhaps a more relevant statement could be that "any "dill" can go and get a car license"?

[Calaber]

Hillerus

In think you have misinterpreted the point I was trying to make. By "dill", I meant people who just want to drive a truck for whatever reason, without thinking about the down-side of such an occupation. Driving a large vehicle requires certain high level skills, but intelligence is not necessarily one of them. I'm not setting out here to offend all truckies, but some of them are dead set dopes.

Your point regarding the number of cars and the quality of car drivers is fair comment, but my point again was - are there more trucks on our roads than our present level of trade requires? I realise that they don't all run around unladen, but how often do you see a semi on the open road with some pathetic half or quarter load and a good proportion of the tray unladen? Obviously, they have a load and single delivery may be the only option given the destination, but when you see them on major highways between cities, you wonder if there are just too many of them for today's needs.

To answer your questions regarding my ability to drive trucks, manipulate non synchro boxes etc. At this stage, no, because I have never had the slightest desire to do so. But as a driver with over 38 years expererience, and competent at double shuffling my way up and down manual transmissions (with and without synchro) I imagine that with practice, I could manage those tasks. Not as well as professional drivers, I'll admit. But none of those skills require "intelligence", just an inate skill and ability to operate machinery.

[Hillerus]

Hillerus

In think you have misinterpreted the point I was trying to make. By "dill", I meant people who just want to drive a truck for whatever reason, without thinking about the down-side of such an occupation. Driving a large vehicle requires certain high level skills, but intelligence is not necessarily one of them. I'm not setting out here to offend all truckies, but some of them are dead set dopes.

Your point regarding the number of cars and the quality of car drivers is fair comment, but my point again was - are there more trucks on our roads than our present level of trade requires? I realise that they don't all run around unladen, but how often do you see a semi on the open road with some pathetic half or quarter load and a good proportion of the tray unladen? Obviously, they have a load and single delivery may be the only option given the destination, but when you see them on major highways between cities, you wonder if there are just too many of them for today's needs.

To answer your questions regarding my ability to drive trucks, manipulate non synchro boxes etc. At this stage, no, because I have never had the slightest desire to do so. But as a driver with over 38 years expererience, and competent at double shuffling my way up and down manual transmissions (with and without synchro) I imagine that with practice, I could manage those tasks. Not as well as professional drivers, I'll admit. But none of those skills require "intelligence", just an inate skill and ability to operate machinery.

"Some of them are dead set dopes". This applies to any occupation. May I ask what you base this observation on?

And I think you will find most truckies don't just rush out and buy a truck, they generally go out and work for a fleet.

Isn't there a downside to any occupation? They are taking the same risk that anyone takes when going into business for themselves, and how many people do that these days and fail? Or people going out and buying 10 houses and not being able to afford it when the market changes? It's exactly the same.

I think you will find truckies know the risks involved in buying a $200k truck better then most.

Could it also be that these "unladen" trucks are on their way to a pickup destination, or have multiple drop offs, or are on their way back to reload? How many cars do you see on the way to work that are full? 5 seaters with 5 people in them? Is that not the same thing? And considering most of the general freight trailers these days are tautliners, how the hell do you know how much they are carting anyway?
A drop deck or flat top are most of the time only going to be loaded in one direction of their trip as well, which is the same as someone using a car trailer to take a load of crap to the tip. You don't throw your rubbish in the tip, then load it back in again for the return trip just to make use of the trailer do you?

Trucks come into my work unloaded almost every half hour to pick up machines and mining equipment, so in your eyes, should they be carting something on the way into my work just so they aren't taking up too much space on our public roads?

[Calaber]

I won't debate the points you make, as they are quite clearly from the truckies side of the argument. And I wasn't trying to promote an argument. I was asking whether there are too many trucks on our roads for the demand that currently exists. You haven't answered that, and possibly can't, because I don't know the answer and I wonder if anybody does.

Dead set dopes? Personal observation only, from seeing them and listening to some of them. And yes, this does apply to any occupation.

[minux]

There are too few trucks. People cannot keep up. I know of 1 business who is trying to find 100+ drivers to increase just one area of their fleet. Problem is no one wants to do the job.

People have a major stereotype with truckies, the old style trucker is pretty much obsolete, it has now become a near professional occupation within the right company. At the end of the day, the drivers are the ones who keep your supermarkets stocked, your oil on the shelves, the petrol in your servoes.
If I had to deal witht he paperwork these guys now deal with, especially for refrigerated freight, I wouldnt want to do the job either. That being said, whenever I get the chance to do a Mel Ade Mel or Mel Syd Mel run, even if it is a changeover, I will do it. There is nothing like cruising the highways in truck, even if you do have to put up with the copius amounts of ****wit car drivers.

[CSP]

Trucks off the road? Good.

Bring back freight via rail.

[minux]

Trucks off the road? Good.

Bring back freight via rail.

You do realise that this would mean more trucks in major cities right?

[CSP]

You do realise that this would mean more trucks in major cities right?

Not semi trailers though... Medium Rigid and box trucks are fine.

[minux]

Not semi trailers though... Medium Rigid and box trucks are fine.

Yes, because Woolworths will pay for 2 trucks when it only needs one.

It WILL increase HC and MC traffic. Maybe perhaps you could come speak at a VTA or Natroads meeting and explain why it would be any different?

[CSP]

I will if they pay me. I can bull**** with the best of them...

Actually, I haven't discounted a career in Politics later in life...

[minux]

I will if they pay me. I can bull**** with the best of them...

Actually, I haven't discounted a career in Politics later in life...

Fact is it isn't bull****. Rail is very limited, the costs alone in providing every town with a railhead would be ludicrous.

Fact is, trains can only do so much, this is why trucks are relied on so heavily, that and the fact it costs twice as much to move freight. WW, Coles etc still freight to WW by truck simply due to the massive price difference and the ease as to which it is done. Even if it were cheaper, they would move the freight from railhead in a b-double or single anyway.

[commsirac]

Trucks off the road? Good.

Bring back freight via rail.

I agree, but bring freight via rail back? its really never gone away, just that truck transport has increased.

Problem is economics.....how much it costs. For a lot of the freight that simply goes from Melbourne to Sydney, its quicker and cheaper for the operators to only have to load up once and deliver rather than have to deliver and offload at the railyards, where they can wait in line for hours etc.
What can change that, charge roadtransport the real cost of providing roads.