A truck journo's route
to escaping the noose

The cover story of this edition deals with an issue that is proving to be extremely vexing to transporters throughout the country, namely, sourcing suitably qualified truck drivers and other skilled people so vital to the successful running of a transport operation. A typical example of the many emails FleetWatch receives is this one: "We are fairly new in the trucking industry and are battling to get hold of quality drivers. Do you perhaps know where we can find drivers?" I have left the name of the enquirer out as he is just one of many - but I assure you it is a genuine enquiry. After speaking to FleetWatch's senior journalist Paul Collings who compiled this month's special interest report, it is clear there is no quick fix to the problem. Collings has done an admirable job in outlining some of the issues but the question still remains: Where to from here? It is all well and good highlighting the problems but what are the solutions? Given that he had interfaced with various stakeholders in the industry on this issue, I asked him for his opinion of where to from here. The following are his suggestions - in his own words: 

"First off, the transport industry needs to establish a representative body that has the interests of the entire industry at heart, from the smallest operator to the largest of public entities. This 'association' needs to drive home the seriousness of the skills deficit in the road freight industry at Cabinet level. A dedicated road transport task team comprising transport operators, TETA and government officials, needs to be established. This team must congregate regularly around the same table to compile and implement an action plan addressing the skills problem. Funding the implementation of this plan can be sourced from skills levies and private/state financing. 

A grass roots Academy
Once TETA has in place standardised - and realistic - curricula for all road transport disciplines, along with a competent division of personnel to monitor and audit training service providers, a significant step will have been taken to improve the quality of skills within the industry. More, however, has to be done to attract new blood into the industry. A public/private training academy covering all trucking disciplines could act as a resource pool for the industry, one that is far easier to monitor than the myriad 'training shops' popping up all over the country. The notion of raw recruits being comprehensively trained in an 'incubator-type' scenario - in fields urgently needed by the economy - is nothing new. Defense forces around the world take in school leavers and train them how to be truck drivers, technicians, transport managers etc. Why shouldn't our own SANDF act in such a fashion in partnership with the road freight industry, TETA and other government bodies? Surely there is a way for the SANDF to train trucking cadets in a controlled environment for active duty in the economy once they graduate from their comprehensive training?

Bring in women
The training and employment of women truck drivers has begun but the idea needs to be embraced by more transporters. Says Soekie Jacobs, general manager, Fleet Accident Management and Masterdrive, Avis Fleet Services: "In the USA, a great number of women are being attracted to the haulage industry. They are professionally trained and tested, equipped with properly inspected roadworthy vehicles and have access to safe, suitably equipped truck stops where they can rest. They are greatly respected for their expertise and dedication to their jobs. They are also extremely well paid." On the local front, Putco has had great success with its new crew of 300 female bus drivers, says NAVCAT's Dave Marais: "Women are coming forward to be trained and employed as commercial vehicle drivers. Putco has seen a 60% improvement in productivity in the female bus driver section over their male counterparts."

Promote the industry
It's no secret that the road transport industry needs to market itself better to the general public to be truly accepted as a key role player in the economy. Public ignorance of trucking's economic importance is a challenge transporters must overcome by promoting the career prospects within the industry to school leavers and the unemployed. Trucking 'evangelists' need to 'sell' the 'world of transport'. They need to sell its sophistication and global interconnectivity, its entrepreneurial nature and the fact that it has made many people extremely wealthy. Role models need to be identified to relate their success stories to young people. 'Sexy' new rigs need to be paraded on school grounds along with all their technological gadgetry. Transport operations need to open their doors to young visitors, showing the dynamic and challenging nature of commercial transport.

All about reward
Just as any transporter is obsessed with bottom line performance, so too will an entrant into the industry be primarily concerned with his or her financial rewards. Driving a truck is a tough job demanding long, lonely hours away from home. These 'roadway pilots' need to be appreciated in both word and deed (money) to an extent where they will feel proud to have a learner sit next to them in the cab, where they confidently divulge to that individual all the 'right driving stuff'."

Wow! There's some real gems in Collings' suggestions and I for one, as Managing Editor of this magazine, will be mobilizing the FleetWatch team to push some buttons on a few of the suggestions he has made. Well done china! What do you think of his suggestions - and can you add to them? Let us know by emailing me on fleetwatch@pixie.co.za.

Patrick O'Leary
Managing Editor