Late last week, the Ministry of Transport dropped the discussion document Te huringa taraiwa: Te arotake I te pūnaha utu kaiwhakamahi rori |Driving Change: Reviewing the Road User Charges System. The paper discusses possible changes intended to improve the RUC system and support the uptake of low-carbon vehicles. Here’s the link to the web page where the document and everything you need to know can be sourced:
https://www.transport.govt.nz/consultations/road-user-charges-consultation/

I’ve not read it yet – that’s a joy in store for the coming week or so. I’m also not going to bother putting in my two-penneth on what should happen. No, this piece is about making sure we as an industry have our say and that you, as operators, get involved ASAP.

Before I go on, those that read my pieces regularly will know that I’m often critical of industry representation and the perceived lack of action across any number of subjects. Here in 2022, the roads are poked, the driving hours a sham, and the next generation’s labour force is non-existent. New Zealand Trucking Media gives/offers associations an ever-increasing number of platforms from which to tell the punters what they’re achieving. The majority of those platforms are available at no cost to them. At the end of the day, industry representative bodies are simply a communication tool, either government-facing or member-facing. Their role is to use every avenue possible to communicate as much as they can, to as many as is possible, and when it’s your fees paying their costs, they’d be mad not to make the most of free messaging.

The reason for that last paragraph is simple. Mark my words, the government will receive a lot of submissions in the consultation phase of this review, a lot of well-organised submissions from those not in our camp. To make matters worse for us, the administration in power currently is, as we know, not overly truck friendly, and they appear supply-chain naïve.

As a rule, we’re largely an apathetic nation when it comes to things like this consultation process. Sometimes, we’ll rear up copycat something we’ve seen offshore that looks revolutionary, but our comfortable existence, along with the inherent disorganisation that tends to frame such acts, means it all too often looks like a firework in the night. Our luminescence is fizzled before it’s started. What wins is always a consistent message, and consistent pressure; the latter best effected by the party lobbied realising the actual influence of the party lobbying. And yes, there does come a point sometimes where I believe that needs to be demonstrated. But at this stage that’s a way off. First we need to be better organised.

As we push on into the middle of the century with all the crap that’s coming our way, that initial attitude of apathy is going to have to change. Now’s a good time for road transport operators to kick that change off.

This government has proved that the only thing it will be swayed by is pressure, and potential dints in its public persona.

Unless you’re a big player in the industry, I’ll wager any submission from Joe Bloggs, sole account operator, will stay in the pending tray. Submissions that count will be from bodies and groups that represent vast industry swathes.

I personally don’t care who you choose to represent you in terms of association, but I do think you need to choose a side, get involved, make yourself heard, and add to a mighty weight of numbers. RUC is probably No.3 after labour, and worktime hours, in terms of our big irritants. Make no mistake, either; this government will not be pursuing any form of net revenue decrease from any revamp of the RUC. They will take more off us, and on current record, not spend it on the roads. Likewise, if you hate the make-up of HPMV, vehicle types, anything to do with RUC, this is your chance to begin to effect change.

Two things before I finish: One, you could do the sit-back-and-be cynical thing, which is your right, of course. But then that’s never worked ever as a means of effecting change. And if you’re pissy with the outcome after it’s all said and done in a couple of years, a rag-tag half-organised blockade probably won’t yield a great deal beyond lost revenue for you.

Two, you won’t necessarily get everything you want. That’s democracy – achieving a workable compromise that fits a demographic. To paraphrase the above, though, if you’re not in the discussion, you’ll certainly be on good odds to get nothing that suits you.

I remember being at the Waikato Stadium in 2005 at the famous game between the Maori-All Blacks and the British and Irish Lions. It was a night of rugby I’ll never forget. Aside from an amazing game of code, everyone I’ve ever spoken to who was there remembers the Welsh singing. Their numbers in the stand were hopelessly outnumbered by the home support, yet their voices when singing rose far above the typical ramshackle Kiwi every-man-for-himself cheering. On this one, we need to sing in unison from within our chosen choir. So, get off your arse, choose a choir, and get in behind submissions that mean something.

All the best

Dave McCoid
Editorial Director