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OPERATIONS + STRATEGY<br />
LBRCA<br />
ENCOURAGING<br />
EXCELLENCE<br />
The Livestock, Bulk<br />
and Rural Carriers<br />
Association’s<br />
efforts in boosting<br />
the ranks of young<br />
drivers in road<br />
transport is paying<br />
dividends<br />
WORDS<br />
WARREN CAVES<br />
Depending on whose study you reference,<br />
the average age of an Australian<br />
truck driver is somewhere around the<br />
47-years-old mark.<br />
This figure would suggest that there is also<br />
a high percentage of truck drivers working<br />
within the transport industry well in excess of<br />
50-years-old.<br />
On the one hand, this is a positive in that<br />
the vast majority of the driver pool should<br />
theoretically have many years of driving<br />
experience and a generally speaking higher<br />
skill set that goes with it. It’s a good thing.<br />
On the negative side, these figures could also<br />
indicate that, as the current workforce retires<br />
or moves into different vocations, there are not<br />
a significantly high enough number of younger<br />
recruits entering the industry to take their place.<br />
We have been seeing the effect of this for<br />
some years now, indicated by the need to<br />
import overseas drivers to fill the gap.<br />
Initiatives to make the career of truck driving<br />
more appealing should be actively encouraged<br />
by all within the industry if we are to adequately<br />
address any workforce shortfall and promote<br />
the trucking industry as a viable and rewarding<br />
career choice.<br />
Proactive mentorship programs and awards<br />
recognising excellence are just small ways in<br />
which young driver excellence can be fostered<br />
and encouraged early on in the piece to<br />
acknowledge a job well done.<br />
32 <strong>ATN</strong> July 2021 FULLYLOADED.COM.AU
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