Companies struggling to keep on truckin’

Since Graham Court bought Crazy Horse Tip Trucks three years ago petrol prices have more than doubled.

He now says if he could sell the Russell Vale based business for a reasonable price he would walk away from it all.

“If it keeps going this way, if I could get the money my company’s worth I would walk away from it because it’s just not worth it,” he said.

“It’s just getting harder and harder to make a dollar.”

Mr Court is one of many truck drivers crying out for support as skyrocketing petrol prices put the boot into their industry.

“The government jumps straight to attention to help a farmer out and we want that same thing,” he said.

“We’re in a drought at the moment, it’s not a water drought, it’s an oil drought.”

Last week truck drivers took part in a ‘go slow’ convoy from the Southern Highlands to Sydney.

Mr Court, who heard about last week’s protest too late to get involved, said rising costs in a number of areas have changed the way his business operates.

If a Crazy Horse Tip Truck gets a bent bumper, for example, it will probably stay bent because there isn’t any money to repair it.

Mr Court said would never let any non-superficial maintenance slip in favour of saving money in these tough times, but fears others might.

“I’d close my business down before I wouldn’t maintenance my trucks, but there are people who wouldn’t,” he said.

Last Friday the government announced a National Transport Commission investigation into driver payment and remuneration in the Australian trucking industry, due to be reported in November.

Transport Worker’s Union National Secretary Tony Sheldon said the commitment is ‘a step in the right direction.’

The union’s Wollongong and South Coast Secretary Richard Olsen estimated there are about 500 transport workers living in the Illawarra.