Owner Driver – August 2019

ownerdriver.com.au AUGUST 2019 31

LITIGATION

Hefty fines for minor

offences are deterring

the next generation of

truckies. Ian Pendered

tells Tamara Whitsed why

enforcement agencies

should cut young

drivers some slack

I

AN PENDER ED of Wilton, New South Wales, believes it’s

time for a fresh approach in the way police and other

enforcement agencies treat young drivers. “We need to

treat our younger drivers differently, and if we do treat

them differently we may attract some more,” Ian says.

A transport accreditation and training specialist, Ian

is CEO of Pentrans Consulting. He has been an active

and vocal member of several trucking associations

including the Livestock, Bulk and Rural Carriers

Association (LBRCA) and is known for his strong opinions.

Among these opinions is his belief that the industry

must do more to smooth the road for newcomers. “We’ve

encouraged them into the industry. We tell them we’re

going to train them.” Unfortunately, he says, the training

they receive often leaves them unprepared for their first

encounters with enforcement agencies. “They’re not trained

correctly in road restraint. They’re not trained correctly

in filling out a work diary. They’re not trained correctly in

managing their fatigue.”

And before too long their rookie mistakes cost them

money.

“[Police] are lurking behind every tree and every corner to

try to catch somebody out for being 15 minutes over time,

or they didn’t fill out their work diary properly, or they’re

not carrying exactly the right paperwork.”

In the case of inexperienced drivers, Ian says the errors

are usually accidental. Perhaps the driver hasn’t grasped

the complexities of counting time. Perhaps he doesn’t

understand the correct axle weights for the combination

he is driving.

Trucking Utopia

Ian believes there is a better way to treat young drivers

as they begin their careers, and shared his Utopian

vision with Owner//Driver. It starts with changing the way

authorities approach inexperienced truck drivers out

on the road. He wants them to greet these drivers with a

friendly, conversational tone. If minor infringements are

discovered, Ian says officers should explain the correct

procedure instead of automatically writing out a ‘bluey’.

He would like to see a formal warning system adopted

for minor non-safety related breaches, to benefit truckies

Left: Ian Pendered drove road

trains in the Northern Territory

in the 1970s and is now CEO of

Pentrans Consulting

Above: Ian believes inadequate

training leaves young drivers ill-

prepared for their first encounter

with law enforcement. Credit: Jerr y

Taylor/Alamy Stock Photo

Right: Ian drove for Mt Isa-based

Wrights Cattle Transport back in

the 1970s

“It’s

absolutely

torturous

for a truck

driver ... to

get pulled

up by these

overzealous

officers.”