I saw some interesting information from the International Monetary Fund recently that came out just as NZTA announced changes to speed limits.

Everybody understands that a higher speed brings safety challenges – you cover more distance when reacting, and it takes longer to stop.

But on the other hand, the IMF analysis Where Are the World’s Fastest Roads? shows high-speed roads boost productivity, reduce poverty and contribute to economic development by connecting markets efficiently.

The post said the world’s fastest roads are found in richer economies, including the United States, Portugal, Saudi Arabia and Canada. The slowest roads are in the poorest countries – another obstacle to inclusive growth.

We need to add “AND” to the discussion about speed, productivity, safety. We want a safe, well-performing economy and believe there is a need to create greater awareness of the trade-offs made when things get in the way of moving people and freight.

The impact of detours

Speaking of productivity, a major case in point is the closure of the Desert Road for major maintenance.

We supported NZTA using a block-road closure for this project as it enables the work to be done safer and not drag on for months and years with stop-go management.

Based on NZTA information about the additional detour time and traffic data, we also accepted that there would be an estimated extra freight cost of $100,000 per day.

Our members have no choice but to pass on those costs to their customers, and that shows up as higher prices. This was the best option to balance the competing demands of safety and economic impact.

Substantive detours also lead to a loss in labour productivity and can greatly impact local businesses in the affected area. According to some business owners, it appears the latter issue has been exacerbated by an electronic sign confusing motorists and leading some to unnecessarily bypass many businesses earlier than they normally would. This is another good demonstration of how travel changes can impact communities.

We’ve sought an update from NZTA on how the project is tracking to schedule, and we will keep members regularly updated. Hopefully, it will be opened very soon.

By the way, for those travellers who feel aggrieved by the additional 35 to 40 minutes required to detour the Desert Road, spare a thought for travellers in North Queensland and Far North Queensland who suffered torrential rain in and around Townsville in February.

The region’s roading authority, Transport and Main Roads, developed a contingency plan, which had a solitary alternative route for heavy vehicles to get around the floods. It advised the freight industry: “Please note, this adds an additional 1200km detour, which equates almost to the distance from Brisbane to Townsville.” And then the road closed …

Understanding our workforce

One of the biggest challenges our industry faces is uncertainty with our workforce. We know it is ageing, driver demographics are changing, and driver shortages vary nationwide. However, as a fragmented industry, we haven’t had high-quality data available to help businesses make good recruitment decisions.

Adding to that problem is a lack of quality data about driver demographics, including age, gender, ethnicity and income. To address this gap, we’re producing a workforce report using data from the last three censuses to provide a much clearer picture of the changing workforce.

With support from Teletrac Navman, we have commissioned some research using data from the last two censuses. From some early snapshots, the findings and the insights will be invaluable to our members and enable us to develop strategies that are much more likely to be successful.

Have your say

The National Road Freight Survey launches this month, and we need all owners, managers, drivers and other essential staff to have their say.

This will be the largest industry-wide survey in over a decade, providing an evidence-based snapshot of our sector, helping us understand how operators are doing, and establishing the issues of most importance to drivers and companies. Topics include the state of the roads, public attitudes towards drivers, tolling and road-user charges, the impending wave of driver retirements and road policing and regulation.

The results of the survey, managed by Research New Zealand and supported by the E. J. Brenan Memorial Trust, will be used to better understand what’s important and of concern to the road freight industry.

Appropriate survey reporting will be shared with all participants, with insights then shared with policy-makers, industry participants and the wider public.

There are some impressive prizes to be won, so regardless of your role in the industry, check out our website for details and take 10 minutes to ensure your voice is counted.