Owner/Driver #339

FOR THE OWNER-DRIVER Frank Black
Business is business
Now, more than ever, it’s important to recognise that
trucking is a business – not a lifestyle
MY DAUGHTER will soon
turn 35, a sentimental
moment for a father
and a rude reminder
of my advancing age.
It also marks the 35th
anniversary of my career
as an owner-driver.
I look back on the purchase of my first
truck and remember my excitement to
embark on a new lifestyle of travel and
opportunity. “I’ll be the master of my
own destiny,” I thought.
I didn’t realise that with the exchange
of keys I was locking myself into an
industry for life. The freedom I thought
I was investing in has over time
diminished to a point where I have no
choice but to keep running my truck.
I still get enjoyment from my job, and
I’m reminded of that early excitement
I felt in the ’80s whenever my two-yearold
grandson Eli hops in the cab with
me and wants to push all the buttons
within reach.
As a young man full of enthusiasm
I used to chat with owner-drivers who
would come into the workshop. I would
hear success stories how if you were
prepared to make sacrifices such as
being away from home friends and
family and work hard, it would pay off,
in four to five years owning the truck
and a home was not just a long-term
dream.
Being your own boss is an appealing
dream, but nowadays it should come
with a warning: if you treat trucking as
a lifestyle rather than a business, you’ll
go bust.
Perhaps the warning signs were
already there and I, a mechanic at the
time, refused to see them. After all, I
did buy my first truck from a driver
who couldn’t afford the repairs it
needed. Sadly, this is a story I’ve heard
over and over and it’s only getting
worse.
HIGHER COSTS
For 35 years I’ve steered my truck
forwards, and the industry has gone
in the opposite direction. While rates
have stagnated, costs like insurance,
fuel and repairs have continued on
an uphill climb. Years ago, your truck
registration included three number
plates: two for the truck and one for
the trailer. Now, the trailer has its own
registration that will set you back an
additional $1,600 a year.
It’s a continuous squeeze that puts
pressure on each run to be viable. If
drivers get lured into thinking you can
FRANK BLACK
has been
a long distance ownerdriver
for more than
30 years. He is a former
long-term owner-driver
representative on the ATA
Council.
put in the hours for enjoyment’s sake
without ensuring every hour spent
on the job is profitable, it’ll be a short
road to bankruptcy.
Enjoying the job is fantastic, but it
is vital to separate work and lifestyle,
and more importantly to ensure that
the work can fund the lifestyle.
Many people ask if I would jack it
in and go back to being a mechanic.
To do that, I’d have to go back to
school to learn the new technology,
and even then would struggle to
get employment at my age. Aside
from the enjoyment I still get from
driving a big rig, it is the only viable
option for me until retirement.
Retiring is another important
factor to consider. How many drivers
are still going well into their 70s?
For many, it’s not a choice. As I write
this, I’m sitting across the table from
a bloke who’s 74 and has no plans to
retire soon. In long-distance driving,
the squeeze on rates doesn’t allow for
superannuation savings.
AGING WORKFORCE
The recent attention on truck driver
health and the concerning stats
showing obesity, heart problems and
chronic health conditions highlights
why an aging workforce is dangerous
for all involved. The Monash
University study drew the link
between deteriorating health and
increased chance of being involved
in a truck crash.
And of course, the job itself is
to blame for many of the health
concerns raised in the study. Sticking
with the job as an old man or
woman is only going to increase the
prevalence of those conditions.
In the long-distance game, it’s
unlikely to get consistent medical
care when we’re rarely in one place
for long. With tight margins it’s
unlikely many drivers have good
healthcare either, including dental.
It’s a frightening thought that
truck drivers must continue working
well beyond retirement, even with
multiple health problems. But too
often it’s a choice between working
or relying on your family to keep a
roof over your head – if you’re lucky
to have that option.
This is why it’s so important to
make sure we listen to our heads
and not our hearts when making
decisions about our trucking
businesses. A job is only ever worth
doing if it is profitable, will fund our
lifestyles and enable us to save for
maintenance, time off if we need it
and retirement.
After 35 years in the game, here’s
my pearl of wisdom. By all means,
enjoy the job. Just make sure you’re
a viable business owner and not a
slave to the lifestyle.
“The squeeze on rates
doesn’t allow for
superannuation savings.”
86 APRIL 2021 ownerdriver.com.au