 Photos courtesy of Helen and Ray Pratt
Next meeting is an AGM on Sunday 11th of July. Dowlnoad 2010 meetings calenar.
Owner Driver Act The much talked about Owner Drivers Act is still not properly implemented but it is still on the agenda. The Act was developed in response to a number of concerns expressed by Western Australian owner drivers. This association can take much credit for this Act being introduced. It was 2005 that we approached Minister McTiernan, the Minister for Transport, about the problems owner drivers faced and how we were unable to have proper recovery of our costs. We were being exploited by large companies to the extent that we felt something should be done. To her credit and our thanks Minister McTeirnan listened to our problems and decided to introduce the Owner Drivers Act. We were so pleased and happy we were over the moon, at least someone was going to help owner drivers. What we didn’t know was how long it would take to put the Act together and get it through Parliament. The Act was put together but it needed approval from the Federal Govt. The Liberal Party and John Howard were in power at the time and they would not give approval. The Liberal Govt finally lost to Labor and Kevin Rudd was in and approval was given. Everything here in the West was ready and the first part of the Act was introduced in August 2008. The next stumbling block was shortly after the state Labor lost power and the Liberals took over, this meant that the 2nd stage of the Act due out in early 2009 never happened. The next step was to lobby the WA Liberal Govt to explain to them the importance of this Act to the owner driver and the transport industry. After some talks with Minister Simon O’Brien’s office we were delighted to be told they would proceed with the Owner Drivers Act. At this point in time the Govt has re appointed the Road Freight Transport Industry Council. This council is made up of 8 members, which gives a good representation of the Transport Industry. We are grateful to have a seat on this council. The role of the council is to
The first meeting of the new council was held on Tuesday 24th Nov 2009. The general view after this meeting is that around March-April 2010 this act will finally be put in place. The Owner Drivers Act has been a long and difficult exercise but we have proved that by being patient and persistent we will achieve something that will benefit the whole transport industry. A lot of criticism has been levelled at small associations and clubs being a waste of time, it would be tremendous if we could unite our recourses and energy – think what we could achieve. This exercise re the Owner Drivers Act has been a long drawn out affair but we have proved that even small associations can achieve goals by being organized and focused. The Western Australian Long Distance Owners and Drivers Association is a WA Association dedicated to being a voice for owner drivers.
Ray Pratt
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Welcome The WA Long Distance Owners and Drivers Association was formed in response to a number of concerns by Truck Drivers about the future of the transport industry in WA. Nearly everything we buy in the shops comes by road so it makes perfect sense to protect the industry and the truckies who are an essential part of it. The Association is committed to promoting professionalism, quality and safety in the industry. It has been formally recognized by the WA Minister for Transport and has been appointed a position on the Ministerial Road Freight Transport Committee. When the new legislation is passed, we will be appointed to sit on the Tribunal and/or the Council. The Association has successfully lobbied the government who has agreed to make substantial changes to legislation regarding the transport industry. We have organized a rally at Parliament House that received extensive media coverage and was attended by more than 300 truck drivers. We were also instrumental in the introduction of the Owner Driver Act. This act is set-up to give owner drivers a fair go and proper recovery of our costs. We encourage you to save YOUR industry! YOUR Voice will make a difference! Become a member NOW by clicking on the ‘Join’ page!  Photo courtesy of Bryan Martin (Boab Haulage NT Pty Ltd) |
Official sponsors:
Visit official sponsor of Waldoda Graham S. Knight and Associates – Insurance brokers and Risk consultants at http://www.grahamknight.com.au  Joel Waddell at Pacific Finance can assist you with low interest rate finance. Visit their website at www.pacificfinance.com.au or call Joel on 0403 536 932. |
| Below are some of the links we found useful. Feel free to email webmaster@waldoda.asn.au new additions. Your name can be here too, if you wish to be a sponsor. For all sponsorship arrangements, please email sponsorship@waldoda.net.au. |
| Department of Planning and Infrastructure | www.dpi.wa.gov.au |
| Department of Consumer and Employment Protection | www.docep.wa.gov.au |
| WorkSafe WA | www.docep.wa.gov.au/WorkSafe |
| Main Roads WA | www.mainroads.wa.gov.au |
| Office of Road Safety | www.officeofroadsafety.wa.gov.au |
| Australian Trucking Association | www.atatruck.net.au |
| Our members comprise a wide variety of operators including long distance, metro drivers and fleet owners with long history in the industry. Some of our members even have degrees! New members are always welcome! To join the Association please fill in our membership form and email tomembership@waldoda.asn.au or you can print it out and post (along with your money order or a cheque) to: The Secretary PO BOX 358 Welshpool Delivery Centre Western Australia 6986 FEES: $25 Initial Joining Fee; $100.00 Membership per Annum. |
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This area is for Waldoda members only. To login, enter your username as first letter of your name + your surname in full. All lower case with no spaces. For example, username for jo bloggs is jbloggs. Password is your membership number. |
meeting minutes from 18th of May are available in the members area.
News/updates: