Hundreds of trucks are either idle in the yard or stuck on the roadsides as the floodwaters close roads
(Photo from media.kansas: Tow truck workers clear vehicles from a street in Toowoomba, Australia, Monday, Jan. 10, 2011, following a flash flood) Victoria,QLD,Australia -Transport & Logistic News -13 Jan 2011: -- Transport companies are going to extraordinary lengths to supply as much of Queensland as they possibly can, but hundreds of trucks are either idle in the yard or stuck on the roadsides as the floodwaters close roads... The Australian Trucking Association (ATA), Queensland Trucking Association, NatRoad, ATA NSW, the Victorian Transport Association (VTA) and the Australian Livestock Transporters’ Association (ALTA) coalitioned warning transporters not to leave home. Trucking companies should not despatch trucks to south east Queensland or northern New South Wales unless they have scoped the route and know their trucks can get through safely, six of Australia’s trucking industry bodies has warned... But many transporters are attempting circuitous routes to keep freight moving... Supermarkets and their suppliers are trying everything to get through... Logistics companies and retailers are sending trucks on wide swings through western Queensland, directing goods into the state from the Northern Territory rail line, and launching barges up the coast to help supply the far north with life's basics...* Canberra - Spare a thought for transport drivers. This catastrophe has highlighted the realisation that without trucks Australia stops
Canberra,Australia -Transport & Logistic News -17 Jan 2011: -- The restocking of shelves, the removal of the debris, the delivery of timber and furniture, the reconstruction of roads and the supply of fuel are reliant on the Australian transport drivers – mostly family men who leave their families for weeks on end transporting the goods to rebuild the nation... Transport drivers across the country have been vastly affected by the devastating floods that have swept the nation, but their work is expected, not appreciated or acknowledged... Whilst some trucks have been washed away, other drivers have been stranded for days, fully laden with freight waiting to get supplies into flood affected areas at the first opportunity. Some traversing flooded roads and dangerous conditions in hope to get supplies through... With many warehouses and transport depots flooded, their destination for unloading is unknown... Road closures and road damage is another contributing factor to this catastrophe. Fuel stations have to have tanks pumped before petrol /diesel can be delivered. One tanker has enough diesel to fill only 35 trucks. With the refineries in Queensland closed all this has to come from interstate... One driver was stranded for 8 days; others entered raging flood waters to save lives in the height of the devastation. Those parked up on roadsides, with up to 250 in one area, ran out of money and food, with some being flood-affected themselves, leaving their families at home to face the devastation. Drivers across the country have been stood down as there is nowhere to take the freight, whilst others are doing 21-hour trips, zigzagging across the nation to get freight to a destination that would otherwise take just seven hours... As the flood crisis spreads to other states, there are more restrictions on freight movement and the impact is going to be even worse. Drivers do not get paid unless the wheels are turning...* Victoria - Kings buys Forum Transport
Notting Hill,VIC,USA -Transport & Logistic News -10 Jan 2011: -- Kings Transport Logistics (Kings) has acquired Forum Transport (Forum) effective 10 January 2011... Forum has operated out of Seven Hills, NSW, for 16 years, providing services to customers predominately in the Sydney Metropolitan area. More recently it has expanded its services across the eastern seaboard... Forum’s identical vehicle design and fit-out, providing consistent freight movements, has been one of company’s the attractive features for Kings... The Forum business will continue to trade as Forum Transport and work out of its Seven Hills location over the short to medium-term timeframe...* Canberra - Fair Work works for truck drivers
Canberra,Australian Capital Territory,Australia -Transport & Logistic News -13 Jan 2011: -- Fair Work Australia has successfully pursued several transport companies, leading to truck drivers receiving significant payments.
* Victoria: Two truck drivers at Bendigo are being reimbursed more than $67,000 after an investigation by the Fair Work Ombudsman found they were underpaid... After Fair Work inspectors contacted the employer and explained its obligations, the company agreed to back-pay them...
* Tasmania: Two Tasmanian transport workers have been back-paid a total of $36,100 after investigations by the Fair Work Ombudsman found they were underpaid.
The Fair Work Ombudsman has a number of tools on its website - www.fairwork.gov.au - to assist employees and employers to check minimum rates of pay, including PayCheck, Payroll Check and a Pay Rate Calculator... Small to medium-sized businesses without human resources staff can also ensure they are better equipped when hiring, managing and dismissing employees by using free template employment documentation with step-by-step instructions...
