How to attract new truck drivers
What would the effect on the cost of a Big Mac or a tin of paint be if, the road transport industry decided to draw a line in the sand and create their own set of minimum wages and conditions. The aim being to attract and retain skilled drivers.
It would be great if the Road Transport Forum of New Zealand (RTFNZ) could commission a study, to discover the potential effect on the economy if, commercial vehicle operators had a more appropriate set of minimum wage and conditions standards. Such as...
How about if we tried this:
Class 2 driver licence minimum wage: $20 per hour
Class 4 driver licence minimum wage: $25 per hour
Class 5 driver licence minimum wage: $30 per hour
Maximum working hours: 12 within 24 hours
Up to 60 work hours maximum within 6 consecutive days
Minimum 24 hours off after 50 hours, or 6 consecutive days
This might help to realign wages and conditions with other trades, and help to encourage new people to look at road transport as a viable career option.
If the RTFNZ has the membership influence that it suggests, then this could be a strong initiative to support it's members and weed out those operators that are dragging the industry down.
To avoid unscrupulous transport operators undercutting the market, RTFNZ members could boycott customers and/or businesses that choose to use non-member transport options. This could quickly bring everyone into line and on the same page. It might even prompt the government to look at legislating appropriate minimum wages and conditions for commercial vehicle operators.
Such an initiative can only work if the RTFNZ has strong nationwide support, that covers the interests of all road freight transport operators across New Zealand. I believe that with strong membership support, and brave leadership, the RTFNZ could provide far greater driver shortage solutions than the tinkering around the edges that is currently being offered.
What do you think?
