The Road Transport Forum is reminding all freight operators to have the correct documentation for doing business between alert levels 3 and 4.
It is recommending operators sign up with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) Business Travel Register to ensure a smooth passage of freight between borders.
All of New Zealand, south of the Auckland boundary, will move to level 3 at 11.59pm on Tuesday. Auckland and Northland will remain in level 4.
Police will be operating road blocks between areas on Auckland’s southern borders ensuring only essential vehicles are travelling.
Police will establish a dedicated truck lane to wave trucks through where they can do so safely. On occasion they may stop trucks to check the driver’s travel documents.
Although it is not mandatory to register with MBIE, everyone is required to carry identification and proof of their travel purpose.
As of August 30, the RTF has reported 224 transport companies had registered and travel documents were issued for 1830 individual staff members.
Initial feedback is that it is easy to register and documents are being issued straight away.
RTF chief executive Nick Leggett says he is hopeful travel between borders will be more organised this time around compared to previous occasions.
The RTF is working closely with police, Waka Kotahi and the Ministry of Transport and there is a “very good understanding of where things didn’t work last time”, he says.
“We’ve been putting forward the position of the industry in relation to some of the challenges they could face at borders. We have a good line of communication if there are any problems to sort things out quickly,” Leggett says.
He says it is important for truckies to keep in touch with the organisation and update it on any issues that need sorting.
With bobby calf season underway there will also be a lot of animals being transported.
As well as driver welfare, animal welfare is a major priority, Leggett says.
The RTF, with the help of the associations, is also compiling and updating a list of where there are public toilets that are open during the lockdown for truckies.
At Monday’s media briefing, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that travel between borders will only be for essential workers.
“Very little movement is expected in a level 3 environment,” she says.
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster says he is pleased with the public’s overall response to alert level 4 restrictions.
“By and large New Zealanders continue to recognise the importance of these restrictions for the health and wellbeing of us all.
“Now is not the time to throw caution to the wind or take unnecessary risks. Police will not tolerate behaviour that deliberately jeopardises everyone’s efforts to date,” he says.
Across Auckland, police at checkpoints have observed reasonably low levels of traffic however motorists were turned around for a range of reasons including exercising or shopping outside their neighbourhood and attempting to visit family or friends.
Other non-essential and long-distance travel around the country included needing to fix a shower, buying a puppy, delivering fish to a friend, getting “better quality meat”, and going for a Sunday drive.
Meanwhile in Wellington, roving police patrols turned around a number of motorists who travelled to Pauatahanui inlet to see a pod of visiting orca.
As of August 29, 107 people have been charged with a total of 115 offences nationwide since alert level 4 restrictions began.
Of the charges filed, 75 are for failing to comply with the COVID-19 order, 26 for failure to comply with direction/prohibition/restriction, 11 for health act breaches, and three for assaults/threatens/hinders/obstructs enforcement officer.
