At the event held at the Melbourne Park Function Centre, Minister Pallas addressed some of the industry’s key issues, including the challenge of the skills shortage, saying that the industry would need 60,000 new drivers in Victoria by 2026 to cope with the growing freight task and the aging workforce.
Currently, the government is looking at ways of fast-tracking the path to a heavy vehicle licence. “If you don’t get them, then they’re gone,” said Minister Pallas, alluding to young people wanting to become truck drivers.
The Minister also addressed the need for higher productivity vehicles to be better recognised and the need for greater progress, despite certain higher productivity vehicles being allowed to operate on trial networks.
While addressing that local governments were an obstacle in this regard, Minister Pallas said that higher productivity vehicles needed to be properly recognised as an efficient means of transportation so that we can develop into intermodal hubs.
Minister Pallas also spoke of the recently implemented truck exclusion lanes which he said have been embraced by the industry. As the amount of truck freight on our roads increases, he said that truck drivers needed to continue to work together with the community.
Jointly hosted by the VTA (Victorian Transport Association) and VACC (Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce), Freight 2011 is a year of freight related activities, workshops, field days and practical solutions that are designed to improve freight businesses and the way freight is moved to ensure a viable and sustainable future for the industry as the freight task continues to grow.
Freight 2011 events will be based around five key themes:
• Freight People
• Freight Technology
• Freight Environment
• Freight Safety
• Freight Agenda
Freight 2011 will culminate with Freight Week which takes place from 5-9 September. During Freight Week, outcomes of the year’s work will be presented.
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