There has been a lot of talk about increasing the country’s productivity. From 2021, we had a government entity, the Productivity Commission, charged with advising the government on how the country’s productivity could be improved, but it was disbanded in early 2024. One report I read suggested overall productivity for the country had dropped by 85% since the late 1990s and early 2000s. Even our industry associations are calling for productivity to be improved.

“Productivity” is fast becoming one of those management buzzwords we hear so often, but my concern is that while many recognise the need, few comments I have seen attempt to define what they mean. Productivity is complex. It has many different legs, each impacting in its own way, so I will not attempt to define it, especially as it relates to our industry, a service sector dependent on customers for its viability.

One definition I have seen defines productivity as “measure of economic performance that compares the amount of goods and services produced (output) with the number of inputs used to produce those goods and services”, or simply, outputs/inputs. Take from this what you may, apply it to your business, and you will see just how complex a task it is.

We may well ask ourselves to what degree is regulation impacting industry productivity? Would it improve if we had fewer or no work- time rules or no requirement for transport licensing, or if all vehicles using the highway system were limited to the same maximum speed? Many factors that impact our productivity are imposed on us by others, and there is little chance of moving them. We must also ask ourselves if the industry is mature enough to operate with fewer rules. Perhaps one of our industry associations could look into this and unlock the mysterious meaning behind the word?

ANOTHER THING that caught my eye was the disconnect of a trailer from a logging truck. Initial reports suggest that the trailer became disconnected because the trailer coupling release was electronically controlled from within the truck cab and was inadvertently activated. The Log Transport Safety Council reacted very quickly and released a safety alert, but what puzzled me was why this electronic release was needed in the first place – until I read one comment that it was fitted to improve the productivity of the driver, completely ignoring the need to disconnect the connecting air hoses and electrical connections.

THE 5 FEBRUARY EDITION of TRANSPORTtalk reported a 79% increase in the number of transport businesses going into liquidation during 2024, 131 companies compared with 72 during 2023. This was not surprising as reporting during the year indicated an increasing trend. While some may see this as a good thing, fewer transport companies should mean more freight available; we would be callous if we did not consider the human impact of these liquidations and should never forget, there but for the grace of God go I.

Let us hope that these numbers have peaked and that 2025 will see a decline. We can all learn from the words of Sir Winston Churchill, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.”

THE WEEK before Christmas, I had an incident at home that required my transport by ambulance to hospital. The road used is familiar to me – I had driven it to the same destination the day before – but this time was different. In the back, I could not see the potholes, deteriorated road surface and the judder bars and be ready for them, but I could sure feel them.

To all those who think we spend too much on maintaining roads and the advocates of more traffic-calming devices, you should arrange a ride in the back of an ambulance to feel the effects of your thoughts. Something I thought about during the trip was thank goodness somebody has not come up with the idea that we could replace ambulances with bicycles – yet.