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NZ Trucking : October 2017
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WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ WWW.GOCLEAR.CO.NZ Dave McCoid Editor adapted masthead.indd 1 8/02/2012 11:02:47 a.m. EDITORIAL Back to the booth Bythetimeyoureadthiswe’llallbeaweekandahalf away from our three-yearly pilgrimage to the polling booth. It’s a celebration of democracy that we can do things like discuss a new flag style and vote without fear of those who take up arms in order to bring the polls into line, or ensure the status quo. With a generally declining population in the demarcating voting western world, it’s plausible our descendants may not enjoy the laid- back, singlet, tee shirt and jandals approach many here have to voting. We forget all too easily it is us who influence the decision makers, and we do in fact decide what does and doesn’t happen. The fish hook in the freedom is the potential for apathy, and ironically, the propensity for folk to be steamrolled by those who appear to have a free rein on imposing that which the population does not necessarily want – arguably the very behaviour that spawned the birth of democracy itself. In this issue we cover off some major announcements of the past couple of weeks in Road Noise News and also provide a full wrap-up of the Election 2017 Transport Summit held in August. It’s a crucial election for our industry, with transport one of the hot potatoes. To be anti-truck in society is to be very in vogue when it comes to the social jewellery box, and that’s evidenced by the politicians’ reluctance to voice in public the crucial role of the truck in society and the issue around who’s going to drive them all in 10 years. The Transport Summit was a great event and certainly presented the road transport industry with an overview of just how tough it’s going to be for society’s pariah industry, the one with an absolutely mission critical role in every house and business in the country – what a paradox. The driver shortage was largely paid lip service at the Summit even though vulnerability of the network was a key discussion point. I think, like the public at large, the politicians are hoping autonomy will be the hand that slams the door shut on that issue once and for all. Sadly that’s unlikely to be the case, and transport, road transport in particular, may well be a white-hot issue in three years time. This will be especially true if there’s an enforced move to rail following this election in an economy that’s been running on a JIT inventories and a ‘buy now’ mentality for the last quarter century. The level of broader disconnect and more general confusion was best exemplified by the politicians extolling the virtues of redirecting youth not suited to university into ‘trades’, and most attendees nodding in response. Problem is, truck driving isn’t a trade. To me that was an indictment of the chaos we’re all operating in currently. I was hoping for one of the candidates to stand up and say, “Based on the data government has on the projected economic growth versus projected driver shortage, this economy is going to begin to founder if something is not done, and done soon. This is the most significant vulnerability facing the network currently.” It was good to hear recognition from Labour and Green representatives on the societal impacts of rapid and commercially driven technological change. Of the five candidates in attendance you’d have probably bet those two would and should have been the ones to raise it. Admittedly Julie Anne Genter appeared to believe in the potential of a truly altruistic society, while her nemesis David Seymour continued the age-old ACT facade of people having the inherent capability of managing their affairs in a mature manner. The boats lined up in the viaduct basin, the level of domestic debt, not to mention things like recreational drug use, renders both arguments nonsensical. I’ve themed more than one editorial over the past couple of years on the folly of a technological utopia if the population it displaces takes up pitchforks and flaming torches as a result. Brexit and Trumpence in part owe their genesis to a disregard for the displaced. Attendees at the summit were given two opportunities to vote in the course of the day. The first vote was on arrival, in order to determine preconceived beliefs on the strengths of each party’s transport policy, and then during the lunch recess, as a gauge of candidate performance during the morning session. The results showed a significant swing away from National, with the percentage released spread among the rest. It’s an interesting result when compared with what’s happening on the hustings currently. First year stats in university tells us the sample size required in order to gain an understanding on what a population is doing can be quite small if well selected. It would appear the summit was a good cross-section of society. One of the potential problems with a well evolved welfare state is elections, and an electorate that looks more like the baby bird in the nest craning its head, mouth gaping, rather than the mother constantly looking to build a better nest. 10 New Zealand Trucking October 2017 GET NZ’S #1 LIGHT TIPPER AT UNBEATABLE PRICING WWW.CANTERTIPPER.CO.NZ 0800 FUSO NZ Financial $39,900*+ GST + ORC FROM 5.99% finance available (from $30/day)† CANTER TIPPER *Terms and conditions: The advertised recommended selling price of $39,900 applies to the manual transmission Fuso Canter 616 City Tipper and excludes GST and On Road Costs. On Road Costs to be advised upon contacting your dealer. Offer available until 31 December 2017, or while stocks last, from participating dealers only. For full terms and conditions or to find out more, talk to your dealer. Advertised price does not include body lock or load anchorage points; these will incur additional costs if required. †Finance offer available to approved business customers only and not available in conjunction with any other offer. Only available on the Fuso trucks displayed in this advertisement. Daily payments are calculated by 12x monthly instalment/365 days. Payments are to be made monthly. Max term available is 60 months. Standard Fuso Financial fees, credit assessment and lending criteria apply. Vehicles must be registered and settled by 31 October 2017 to qualify. Limited Slip Diff 6T/ 7.5T GVM 36-month Manufacturer’s Warranty Manual or DUONIC AMT 157hp 370Nm 30,000km Service Intervals 36 HOT TIP FOR 2017! 2017
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