Heard of the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, or the frequency illusion as it may more commonly be known? It’s that sensation of noticing something ever more frequently after becoming aware of it. Even if you don’t know what it’s called, I’m willing to bet you’ve experienced that.

I did recently, perhaps in a more abstract way, when a few different but related events occurred in succession, leading me to think ‘what about the truckies?’

I suppose it started with our own Carl Kirkbeck’s tales of his visit to the famous Gee Cee’s Truck Stop in Washington State, and his writeup we published in the April issue of New Zealand Trucking magazine. Gee Cee’s is among the 2500 truck stops spread around the USA, according to the National Association of Truck Stop Operators. Yes … truck rest stops are taken so seriously in the USA that they have their own association.

Around the time that story went to print, the On the Road Podcast team spent a good half an hour of their 20 March Wednesday Night Live show, picking the brain of Gary Martin, CEO of Queensland Trucking Association, and deconstructing the situation regarding rest stops in the region and further out. And just this week an announcement was made that $17 million of funding is being put towards five new rest area projects in a joint effort from federal, state and local governments.

Then, at the beginning of April, news broke about plans for a new truck park at Picton. The more I think about this, the more the fact it doesn’t already exist boggles my mind. Much like the ferries themselves, the ports at Picton and Wellington are a part of SH1, and it’s not uncommon for trucks to line the streets of the Marlborough town, especially when ferries are delayed.

A couple of weeks later I received an email from a truckie we featured in the magazine a few years ago, who mailed while eating his bacon and eggs – his words – at the Matamau Diner just outside Dannevirke. He lamented the fact that this icon of SH2 in the Hawke’s Bay is among the last of the old-style truck stops still in the North Island. Indeed, the disappearance of the mom-and-pop establishments of old, due to the proliferation of fast food outlets and filling station cafes, was mentioned by our Aussie mates’ in their podcast chat too.

And in the background to all this, we’ve had both positive and negative talk around the government’s commitment to its Fast-Track Approvals Bill, which ties into it Roads of National Significance (RoNS), outlined in the Draft GPS on Land Transport released on 8 March. Of course the two go hand in hand – if this government wishes to progress its 15 RoNS projects before its time in the Beehive is up, it’ll need to create the environment in which to do so. Following this week’s slip at the Brynderwyns, our industry associations have again added their voices to the urgency.

And so my thought, ‘what about the truckies?’. Yes, this government wants to bring the roading infrastructure up to a level it should be at in 2024, which will serve to improve the work environment of our truckies. But I do hope, at the same time, given the hundreds of millions of dollars that stand to be spent, a little is apportioned for good facilities along the way. Sure, New Zealand doesn’t have the vast expanses of Australia or the US, or the same number of trucks for that matter. But that doesn’t mean safe, accessible, presentable, well-thought-out truck rest stops are any less important.

Take care out there,

Gavin Myers
Editor