While Tony Milham of A One Movers has been vocal about the changes to the RUC regulations that would see trucks charged in a series of weight bands rather than operator nominated rates, the RTF has been more circumspect, according to Road Transport Forum chief executive officer Ken Shirley.
The reasoning, according to Shirley, is that the RTF is working hard behind the scenes to effect a change in the RUC system which recently passed into law.
The RTF acknowledges that the new system is unfair to many truck operators and not only the ones that tend to cube out before reaching GVM.
“We say a more rational and realistic approach is required to the setting of bandwidths for each class of vehicles, with each band carrying a different charge,” says Shirley.
Highlighted is the fact that a seven-axle unit with 41 tonnes will be paying $23 more than a 44 tonne eight-axle combo.
There is plenty of resentment in the trucking industry about the new regulations and the possibility of a repeat of the 2008 truck protests has been mentioned by some in the industry.
Shirley concludes: “Any major revision of any revenue gathering system inevitably means some will end up paying more and some less but the draft regulations as they stand contain some major inequities and these must be smoothed out.”
