As a result of some excellent work done last year by Jo Wills on behalf of the NRC and broader associations, it‘s great to see the industry and the Sector Workforce Engagement Programme (SWEP) coming together to address what is probably the country‘s greatest internal threat to achieving our economic growth projections for the coming 25 years.

Steve Divers has been appointed project manager for the joint initiative and it‘s imperative we, as an entire industry – whether association member or not – swing in behind him and give him every stitch of support we can. It‘s imperative we allow him to ask the most difficult questions of us, and it‘s even more imperative we give him honest answers, not just because we need the 1000 drivers he‘s been tasked to attract, but he also needs to sell an honest proposition to the young considering the industry, and those looking to change career paths. The worst thing would be to attract 300 people only to have 250 quit within two years on account of ‘it‘s not what I was told it would be‘. The whisper effect of that could rapidly undo any good.

As obvious as this may all seem, the ability of the industry to sing off a different song sheet to that in their shop window is renowned – just ask any carrier who‘s tried to get a consensus on bottom line rates. The corporates have been feasting off our Jekyll and Hyde approach with each other for decades. The fact that an industry, so omnipotent in the greater economic equation, has been so strapped for margin that today it‘s reeling under a skilled labour shortage, is inexcusable.

All the best
Dave McCoid

…An extract from the editorial in the upcoming June issue of New Zealand Trucking magazine. Don‘t miss the full column subs@nztrucking.co.nz