Victorian operator claims NHVR's inability to process permit applications is costing many owner-drivers their jobs
The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s (NHVR) inability to process permit applications is costing many owner-drivers their jobs, a Victorian operator says.
Cliff Fraser has had to sell his Ballarat home to pay debts, saying he’s only had five jobs come up since the shift to national regulations on February 10.
There are at least another 50 drivers who have left the industry altogether due to the mess the regulator has made of the permit application process, he adds.
“I’m quite disappointed; I was a very big believer in the NHVR and they’ve lost a lot of credibility because of this,” Fraser says.
“They’ve made things very difficult for us – one bloke is actually washing laundry for a motel and most of these blokes probably won’t come back to the industry.
“We’ve just lost 52 experienced pilots and we’ll probably be replaced by new people with no experience as it’s really not an easy job to learn on the go.”
Fraser used to work six days a week up until last Christmas carting wide loads.
He says he’s missed out on around $35,000 worth of work because of permit delays.
“I’m affected by the loss of applications,” he says.
“I’m doing jobs on borrowed money which means I will have the ongoing difficulty of finance.”
State member for Ripon Joe Helper says the NHVR is nothing but a “catastrophe”.
“I think there’s no other way to describe it but an absolute catastrophe that is costing Victorians jobs and impacting on the economy,” he says.
“It’s another example of racing to the bottom for the sake of national uniformity.”