Road user charge increase truckies' drive/march this Friday 4 July

**tri boy** · 3rd July 2008, 20:03

Now listen very carefully class, choochoo trains are not designed to pick up, and drop off mrs Jones poodle food, or master Bates's subscriptions to hog farmers weekly. (these are low weight, low volume items that burn more man hours, and rolling stock space than they are worth).
Please turn to page 5 of your colouring books, and colour in the BIG LONG choo choo train, and then the little biddy road truck.
Afterwards you can have a glass of milk, and a sleep/wee on the mat.
Johnny! Stop scaring the goldfish!

**Kickaha** · 3rd July 2008, 20:08

Originally Posted by imdying

Why's that? The big ones on the main transport routes are only going to depots (sort of like a train station!), not door to door?

I haven't had anything to do with the heavy truck industry for a few years, but when I did a lot used to load at Major clients yards direct onto the B train or 43 footer and unload at the clients yard in whatever main centre they're going to, or would load direct from the client at one end and unload at the Depot to tranship at the other

With Rail you don't have that option, you have to have trucks at both ends to service the freight

**trustme** · 3rd July 2008, 20:26

Lets put Thomas away for a moment.

We have an economy that is in recession , part of the reason for our economic downturn is sky rocketing fuel prices , has any one filled the bike lately ?.
Winners out of the fuel increase3 has been the govt , dearer the fuel the more money they get , they profit from our pain.
At the coal face is the transport industry , fuel costs arguably hurt them more than anyone else although eventually we all pay.

So explain to me ,Fuel costs rise, the economy dies , we suffer , the govt profits, & then they line up for some more. The economy is limping so lets just kick it in the knees !!
What is the rationale behind this thinking.

**cooneyr** · 3rd July 2008, 22:00

Originally Posted by Qkchk

Would be interesting to see how many on this thread have actually been in a truck let alone drive/driven one as a professional................

Just with all these quotes flying around...

Actually I drove for a firm for 6 months 8 years ago but it was so dodgy it got closed down by LTNZ (LTSA back then). I regularly did 20+ hour days carting apples around Tasman. Any guesses who I'm talking about.

Originally Posted by trustme

So increasing RUC will result in a more efficient rail system

WAHOO , I can't wait , This I gotta see

Less price difference or possibly a positive price difference for rail will encourage more goods onto rail which one can only hope will mean that the rail service provider will have to pick up their game. I know this is a tenuous relationship and it will take a long time to improve but increased road freight charges can only help rail if the rail service providers have any brains (the lack thereof is the real problem though I think).

Originally Posted by tri boy

Sorry mate, your comparing apples with oranges.
NZ Rail/ Toll/ Kiwi Rail, call it what you wish, will only be competitive with heavy, bulk items, in high tonnage/volume.
(Been debating, and learning this subject through my bro in law who has been a contract manager with rail for 20+yrs).

True to an extent. Palatalised and containerised freight has made a huge difference to the ability of rail to carry non "bulk" goods.

Originally Posted by Kickaha

One thing about getting more freight on trains is that while it may result in less trucks on the main transport routes it will need more trucks in the urban areas to cart the increased freight volume to and from rail

How - the major trucking firms have been running the hub based system for a while now i.e. use local trucks to deliver from a hub. With a rail system local trucks deliver from the rail hub. Difference is that the rail yards are controlled by a monopoly and it makes life hard for private firms to get access to the containers, goods, etc. This (along with scheduling) is one of the key issues.

Cheers R

**Genestho** · 3rd July 2008, 22:09

This govt is committing continual election suicide! Or theyre extremely cocky?

Fancy not warning the Industry of the price hike?

As an official ex labour supporter, I say bonvoyage to this arrogance and good riddance!

RockOn Truckies! Make Some NOISE!!!!
Oh the times they are changin

**trustme** · 3rd July 2008, 22:13

Raising RUC to make trucks less cost effective simply enshrines rails lack of efficiency because it gives them a protected market , maybe we should go back to transport liscensing & the 100 km limit . Think how efficient rail would be then, you guys are probably too young to remember
I must be an old fart to remember those days. old & cynical.

**BiK3RChiK** · 3rd July 2008, 22:31

Did anyone see Annette King on the news tonight? She needs either the

or

because her attitude just sucks! She needs a massive wake-up to reality for the average person on the street. She thinks this only affects trucking companies! and they don't pay enough towards our roads!! It's called 'Justification' Ms King and kiwi's are utterly sick and tired of hearing it! What bloody planet is she on? Because it sure isn't the same one I'm on!!!

If I say any more, I'll never stop!

**merv** · 3rd July 2008, 22:49

As for the surprise thing that sounds like a load of crap because it sounded like King and Friedlander had been talking about this for a while and even the protests were said to have been planned weeks ago.

**Street Gerbil** · 3rd July 2008, 22:51

Originally Posted by The Guzzi Widow

This govt is committing continual election suicide! Or theyre extremely cocky?

Or should we say "penisy"?..

Labor is soooo going down!
However from my overseas experience, the first thing Nat's do after wining the elections, is expressing their willingness to stand by decisions of the previous "democratically elected government". I waited for so many elections in the past twenty years. And my favorite candidates went into office and nothing ever changed... Please, please, this one time, prove me wrong!

**Motu** · 3rd July 2008, 23:08

Originally Posted by Street Gerbil

... Please, please, this one time, prove me wrong!

I suspect (in fact I know!) that you will be among the millions of disappointed voters.There will be changes,and a small amount will be good.....only the colour of the ties will change.

**MaxB** · 3rd July 2008, 23:10

One thing I heard from the pollies on the radio was the blaming of trucks for harming the environment. (As a reason to reclaim costs like RUC from the industry to clean up their "mess"). BUT the Euros have just passed regs stating that the air coming out of a truck has to be cleaner than that going in. Heaps of Euro trucks here already confrom to this. I know M.A.N. and Scania do, not sure about the rest. Trucks are way cleaner than our locos.

People just don't know that our rolling stock is shit. Most engines are diesel electric from the 60s with clapped out technology. Also what do they think burns to provide the 1000kW for each prime mover?

This Govt and their advisors are the worst combination of arrogance and ignorance. I hope that the truckies bring the cities to their knees for a short time. Some folks need that wake up call.

**Rollestonchick** · 3rd July 2008, 23:35

Truckies have my support

. Wish i could be there.

**Patch** · 4th July 2008, 06:12

Interesting to hear King and the other idiot disputing about which pricing model they should be using to calculate the fee structure.
Put a Business Owner (BO) & an Owner Driver (OD) in the mix and they'll have something different as well.

The pricing model has always been a contentious argument. Half the problem is these idiots have no fucking clue what it takes to run a truck.

They also blame the trucks for screwing up the road - more bullshit. Sure they do add more wear and tear to bitumen (compared to the Jones' remuera tractor) but not to the extent they make out.
If we had half decent road crews who knew how to lay a decent fucking piece of bitumen - but instead we have monkeys who don't give a shit.

Europe does not have the bitumen problems we do and there rigs are bigger, heavier and travel a lot faster.

Fuck u labour.

**cooneyr** · 4th July 2008, 08:41

Originally Posted by Patch

....They also blame the trucks for screwing up the road - more bullshit. Sure they do add more wear and tear to bitumen (compared to the Jones' remuera tractor) but not to the extent they make out.
If we had half decent road crews who knew how to lay a decent fucking piece of bitumen - but instead we have monkeys who don't give a shit.

Europe does not have the bitumen problems we do and there rigs are bigger, heavier and travel a lot faster......

Dude read some of my posts. The trucks do fuck the road much much faster than any private vehicle ever will. Cars basically do not damage the roads. The weather and trucks are pretty much the only things that ruin roads. And don't compare our roads to the USA/Europe. Our roads are not designed to be anywhere near as strong as theirs cause we simply cannot afford it.

Going back to the point of the thread I have no trouble with the truckies protesting but if they are going to get upset about the RUC then protest about the fuel increase as well. We as a nation have decided that people trying to make a buck is OK (i.e. fuel price rises) but if the government decides that they need to increase prices (taxes) then the get the shit kicked out of them.

As far as road building materials are concerned there has been huge jumps in the price of steel and bitumen (these cost ~2x what they did only 3 to 5 years ago) and in case you hadn't noticed diesel, all of which are required to build roads. How is the government suppose to afford these super highways if they can't get a bit more money in the coffers. The one thing I think the government could do is explain this a little better with some real numbers. The data is there just get somebody to crunch it.

Cheers R