The key issues for the trucking industry in the 2016 election campaign will be the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal, the need for practical measures to improve road safety, and supporting stronger trucking businesses, the CEO of the Australian Trucking Association, Christopher Melham, said today.

The ATA is the peak body representing the trucking industry. Its members include state and sector trucking associations, major logistics companies and businesses with leading expertise in truck technology. The ATA represents many thousands of trucking businesses, ranging from owner-drivers to large fleets.

Mr Melham said the ATA would use the campaign period to call on political parties and candidates to confirm they would not re-establish the RSRT. Parliament abolished the RSRT last month following a grass-roots campaign by the trucking industry.

“The RSRT attempted to apply minimum freight rates to owner-drivers and family trucking businesses. The rates were driving these operators out of business without any real link to safety,” he said.

Mr Melham said the ATA would also urge political parties and candidates to support practical measures to improve road safety.

“As an industry, we’ve made great strides in improving road safety. Between 1982 and 2014, the rate of fatal articulated truck crashes fell by more than 75 per cent, despite enormous growth in the number of trucks on our roads. But even one accident is too many, and the ATA wants to see more practical measures to improve safety,” he said.

He said the ATA would also focus on policies to support stronger trucking businesses.

“The trucking industry mainly consists of small businesses; they operate on tight margins. We want to see policies coming forward that will support these businesses in our industry,” he said.

“The ATA will circulate a questionnaire to political parties and candidates in the coming days. Later in the campaign, we will issue state-by-state report cards about how the parties and candidates compare.

“As an industry association, it’s not our role to endorse political parties or candidates. What we can and should do, however, is to provide people in the industry with information about where the parties and candidates stand.”