1 00:00:00,760 --> 00:00:03,880 Speaker 1: The trucking industry wants tougher rules for unsafe vehicles. An 2 00:00:03,880 --> 00:00:07,360 Speaker 1: Auckland driver was jailed for manslaughter after his banned truck 3 00:00:07,400 --> 00:00:10,200 Speaker 1: with failed the brakes killed the road worker. Billy Clemens 4 00:00:10,280 --> 00:00:12,640 Speaker 1: is with Transporting end Z joins me this morning, get. 5 00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:14,560 Speaker 2: A Billy, I killed O Ryan. 6 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:17,720 Speaker 1: So this was a pretty devastating case, wasn't it. So 7 00:00:17,920 --> 00:00:22,680 Speaker 1: guy basically has a dodgy truck and then breaks fail 8 00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:24,760 Speaker 1: and it rolls and hits a road worker. 9 00:00:26,040 --> 00:00:28,560 Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely, Look, I'd just like to start by offering 10 00:00:28,600 --> 00:00:31,920 Speaker 2: my condolences to the final of Jonathan Walters, who was 11 00:00:31,960 --> 00:00:35,839 Speaker 2: the road worker a year who was killed. This was 12 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:40,080 Speaker 2: a case. This death resulted after a truck's brakes failed. 13 00:00:40,479 --> 00:00:44,440 Speaker 2: The operator and driver of this truck, mister Ali, knew 14 00:00:44,479 --> 00:00:47,280 Speaker 2: that the vehicle had braking issues and the vehicle that 15 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:51,479 Speaker 2: actually been subject to to non operation orders prior to 16 00:00:51,520 --> 00:00:55,400 Speaker 2: this event. Despite this, mister Ali had actually gone ahead 17 00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:59,320 Speaker 2: and obtained new registration plates for this vehicle that he 18 00:00:59,400 --> 00:01:02,560 Speaker 2: knew to be on safe and went and made modifications 19 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:05,960 Speaker 2: so it could complete further work. And the judge described 20 00:01:05,959 --> 00:01:10,400 Speaker 2: this as grossly, grossly reckless and it's had really tragic 21 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:13,039 Speaker 2: consequences for mister Walters and his family. 22 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:15,160 Speaker 1: What do you want change? What could fix that? 23 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:19,280 Speaker 2: Yeah? I think there's three really important things to be 24 00:01:19,319 --> 00:01:22,440 Speaker 2: helpful here. So firstly would be actually be a more 25 00:01:22,520 --> 00:01:27,839 Speaker 2: rigorous process to who's permitted to operate a road freight 26 00:01:27,959 --> 00:01:30,640 Speaker 2: transport businesses in the first place. So in order to 27 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:33,920 Speaker 2: operate a good transport business you need to hold a 28 00:01:33,959 --> 00:01:37,560 Speaker 2: TSL license. And we were actually transporting New Zealand or 29 00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:40,960 Speaker 2: at Select Committee last month making the point that there's 30 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:44,240 Speaker 2: the barriers to entry to the industry are probably too low. 31 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:47,880 Speaker 2: There needs to be a more rigorous assessment before a 32 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:50,760 Speaker 2: person's in a situation where they have the responsibility of 33 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:55,600 Speaker 2: running a company. Secondly, once people are operating, we need 34 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:58,560 Speaker 2: to make sure that NZTA and police have the necessary 35 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:02,160 Speaker 2: compliance tools that they need to get unsafe drivers and 36 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:05,000 Speaker 2: vehicles off the road. And this can include looking at 37 00:02:05,520 --> 00:02:09,160 Speaker 2: the ability for ms TA and police to impound heavy 38 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:14,440 Speaker 2: vehicles in more situations and more easily, but also everything 39 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:19,080 Speaker 2: from cracking down on impeered driving, drug driving, just things 40 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:22,079 Speaker 2: that will provide the public confidence that the road forreight 41 00:02:22,120 --> 00:02:26,040 Speaker 2: industries operating safely. We know the vast majority of operators do. 42 00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:28,720 Speaker 1: When you finally oh sorry, yeah, when you say it's 43 00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:30,639 Speaker 1: too easy to be able to get a license and 44 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:33,200 Speaker 1: to operate, how easy is it? 45 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:39,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, the Transport service license can be applied for through MDTA. 46 00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:44,280 Speaker 2: It's not a particularly rigorous assessment. What we'd like to 47 00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:47,880 Speaker 2: do is that before you before you're issued that license, 48 00:02:48,520 --> 00:02:52,520 Speaker 2: there should be a demonstration that you have the necessary skills, 49 00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:57,040 Speaker 2: you have experience within operating within the industry and the 50 00:02:57,080 --> 00:02:59,919 Speaker 2: particular sector of road freight that you're operating in. 51 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:02,239 Speaker 1: So, Billy, do you just do some kind of online 52 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:05,080 Speaker 1: fill in some online form get your license? Do you 53 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:07,680 Speaker 1: have to sit with an instructor and do a test? 54 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:10,520 Speaker 2: No, No, it's a theory. Yeah, it's a it's a 55 00:03:10,680 --> 00:03:13,880 Speaker 2: it's a theory test that gets passed rather than a 56 00:03:13,880 --> 00:03:17,679 Speaker 2: practical examination of of your skills or business assessment. 57 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:20,000 Speaker 1: Is that for a big big trucks too. 58 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:25,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right. So what we think that that's correct. 59 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:27,079 Speaker 2: So I think what needs to happen is that there 60 00:03:27,120 --> 00:03:30,160 Speaker 2: needs to be an assessment that actually looks at what's 61 00:03:30,200 --> 00:03:32,560 Speaker 2: the scale of the business that you intend to operate, 62 00:03:32,919 --> 00:03:36,120 Speaker 2: how many vehicles exactly the size and scale of the 63 00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:39,240 Speaker 2: vehicles that you're looking at operating. And also tsl's at 64 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:42,520 Speaker 2: the moment don't have a fixed state of expiry, so 65 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:46,760 Speaker 2: m z TA has the ability to withdraw a TSL 66 00:03:46,800 --> 00:03:49,760 Speaker 2: license if it hasn't been used or activated within the 67 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:52,880 Speaker 2: last two years, but that doesn't happen sort of automatically 68 00:03:52,920 --> 00:03:56,320 Speaker 2: as of right. So we know that Ministry of Transports 69 00:03:56,400 --> 00:04:00,360 Speaker 2: had a thorough review of the TSL program. Is sort 70 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:02,680 Speaker 2: of work it wants to do on its books. Since 71 00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:06,000 Speaker 2: I understand from more twenty twenty one so years ago, 72 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:09,520 Speaker 2: we think it would be a great action for MOT 73 00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:12,800 Speaker 2: and MZTA to take to get this thorough review underway 74 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:14,840 Speaker 2: and am sure that we've got the right people operating 75 00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:15,720 Speaker 2: road freight businesses. 76 00:04:16,080 --> 00:04:17,560 Speaker 1: Sounds like it needs to happen, but it sounds a 77 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:18,640 Speaker 1: little bit like a weekbooks. 78 00:04:19,560 --> 00:04:22,559 Speaker 2: For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, listen live 79 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:25,680 Speaker 2: to news Talks. It'd be from five am weekdays, or 80 00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:27,640 Speaker 2: follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.