Without trucks Australia stops, but without farmers everyone stops.
The Australian Trucking Association, the South Australia Road Transport Association and trailer manufacturer MaxiTrans are lending resources to help drought-riddled farmers in New South Wales and South Australia.
MaxiTrans has donated a drop-deck Tautliner for the ATA to loan in moving bagged feed from WA to Rankin Springs and Gunnedah, NSW, while SARTA management will roll up their sleeves.
SARTA president Sharon Middleton, chief executive Steve Shearer and the ATA’s own chief executive Ben maguire will swap neck ties for Redbacks in the Great Southern Hearts campaign called ‘Drive for Life’, moving 128 tonnes of donated hay and feed to communities in SA and rural NSW.
It’s estimated over $100,000 worth of hay, feed and money has been donated by WA businesses Kojonup Feeds, Broomehill Stock Feeds and Bar Feeds and respective communities to the Drive for Life cause.
“As a farmer myself, I can understand the hardship farmers are facing and the struggles of keeping their livelihood afloat,” Maguire says.
Maguire says he will “be joining the crew when they make their way through Ceduna, South Australia, tomorrow”.
MaxiTrans group general manager of sales and marketing Andrew McKenzie says the company has been in discussions internally about how it could offer a more “systemic and sustainable” contribution to the drought relief effort.
“While a one-off cash contribution is always well received, providing free access to trailers to help deliver much needed supplies allows us to stretch our contribution to help so many more people while they need it most,” he says.
SARTS president Sharon Middleton says it was something of a no-brainer for the association and its members.
“It’s a strong Australian tradition to lend a helping hand to those in need, so SARTA and our members are pleased to be able to help our farmers,” she says.
