Union members rally after fatal South Eastern Freeway smash over safety issues in trucking industry

TRANSPORT union officials say local councils are “trying to squeeze the life out of’’ truck companies contracted to pick up the city’s garbage every week.

TRANSPORT union officials say local councils are “trying to squeeze the life out of’’ truck companies contracted to pick up the city’s garbage every week.

Drivers took to the streets on Wednesday to protest what they say is a lack of safety in the transport industry caused by the driving down of the price paid to contactors, which results in unsafe practises.

In the wake of Monday’s horror fatal truck crash that has claimed two lives and critically injured two others, about 30 Transport Workers Union members and officials rallied outside its headquarters in Chief St, Brompton on Wednesday.

Transport Workers Union SA/NT branch secretary Ray Wyatt later said employers were being pressured to cut costs and were sometimes ignoring safe work practices.

Mr Wyatt said Transpacific, the company involved in Monday’s tragedy, took a responsible move by grounding its national fleet on Tuesday for safety checks, but the decision came too late.

“The grounding of these vehicles highlights that there’s some concerns about the safety of these vehicles,’’ he said.

“This absolutely needs to be fixed and the TWU will be making a case to the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal to take this issue on.”

Mr Wyatt said part of the problem was that contracts were being awarded to the cheapest companies, rather than the safest or best drivers.

“When you do that in transport, which (has) very low margins ... the end result is that safety can be compromised and that results in deaths on our roads,” he said.

“It shouldn’t be a race to the bottom (financially), that results in deaths on our roads.’’

Mr Wyatt said professional drivers wanted to do their job safely but city councils and local governments were “trying to squeeze the life out of transport operators - it’s a shameful act and it needs to be addressed.’’

My Wyatt also said the truck driver involved in Monday’s crash had been working for Transpacific for only a week.

“That’s my understanding,’’ Mr Wyatt said.

Transpacific chief Robert Boucher said on Tuesday the decision to ground the fleet was made to assist police with their investigations and to inspect trucks and maintenance records.

Transpacific did not return calls.