I’m writing this Transport Minute after a busy week that included another trip to Wellington and a positive meeting with Transport Minister Simeon Brown. It’s extremely heartening to see transport and roading being prioritised by the coalition government and NRC is committed to doing everything we can to help support progress on the promises that have been made. Being invited to the table for the critical discussions can never be taken for granted, which is why James and I are busy putting in the hard yards behind the scenes to make sure the strategy, insights and advice we provide really adds value.

I received some thought-provoking feedback on the back of last week’s Transport Minute, which was focused on health and safety. Some of you reached out voicing understandable frustration on the challenges you face implementing health and safety procedures, and the toll this responsibility takes.

Many feel like all of the responsibility is lumped onto them as an operator, with other parts of the system doing little to help. This is a serious issue for NRC, and one of the key reasons we have collaborated with our partner NZ Trucking Association to develop the HarmFree Transport & Logistics portal, which is designed to offer our members to meet these obligations.

HARMfree is an industry-led initiative designed to improve workplace safety and worker wellbeing, in a language and style practical for the transport and logistics sector.

• The HarmFree Transport & Logistics initiative is specifically designed to improve transport workplace safety and worker well-being, and it is specifically targeted to smaller operators with limited budgets to invest.
• The programme has been developed for the Health & Safety Champions in transport and logistics, who often work independently without the opportunity to connect with peers to share knowledge or undertake specialised training.
• While some companies have a dedicated Health & Safety Manager, smaller companies may not have the same resources, their champion could be someone who is wearing multiple hats, including partners or family members of owner drivers.

I would recommend any member needing health and safety support should look into the HARMfree portal, it is easy to join up and contains a wealth of resources, tools and support.

Support can also be accessed through NRC’s Commercial Transport Specialists (CTS). Our CTS team are transport experts who are available for free to help members with practical advice simply call 0800 686 777. If they can’t help you they can certainly direct you to someone who can.

I am looking forward to attending our AGM & Networking Event tonight, which is being held at Alexandra Park from 5pm to 930pm.

This is a great opportunity to meet our board, network amongst other industry people and find out more about the valuable service and products our partners and sponsors offer to members. There is no cost to attend if you are a full member or associate member, and we still have some capacity to squeeze in extra attendees. Event is catered so please RSVP to Paula if you would like to come along.

I look forward to connecting with many of you tonight.

– By Justin Tighe-Umbers, chief executive, National Road Carriers