Truckie rest zones support driver wellbeing on the road

By Jim Crouchley, Membership Manager for the Lower South Island

Last month I attended one of NZI’s Truckie Rest Zone events at Rakaia’s northbound commercial vehicle safety centre (CVSC). The event seemed to be very well received by truck drivers, who appreciated the free food, giveaways, and the opportunity for Hato Hone St John staff to conduct brief health checks while vehicles were stopped. Alongside other drivers, I got my blood sugar and pressure checked. It’s important to keep on top of this for a range of reasons, one of which being that abnormal blood sugar or blood pressure levels are linked to fatigue – a serious risk behind the wheel.

Drivers got to enjoy some hot sausages, cold drinks and coffees among other giveaways from NZI while I handed out Truck & Driver magazines, pens, and hats from our friends at Fleet Sales. Summer’s been kicking off early here in the South so the sun protection was vital and appreciated!

I had a good chance to engage with drivers and the other attendees from outside of the industry, including road safety reps from the Ashburton and Timaru district councils and St John’s staff. With plenty of trucks around, I was able to demonstrate to those not directly involved in the industry some of the complexities associated with heavy transport weight and measurement compliance that the general public don’t realise.

While I was there, two trucks were pulled up by the commercial vehicle safety team due to incorrect load distribution. This saw their drivers having to shift loads on what was a very hot day. One driver shovelled more than a tonne of riverrun shingle from the back of his trailer to the front, and another had to transfer 800 kilos from his truck to his trailer out of the grain chute – one 20 litre bucket at a time. Though another truckie lent a helping hand, after around 40 bucketloads it didn’t seem likely he would make it to Picton for his late-afternoon ferry trip. Neither vehicle was overweight in total but having incorrect axle weights cost both drivers a lot of time.

With six CVSCs operational and more coming on stream next year, there’ll be greater enforcement of rules pertaining to truck configurations and axle weights – so make sure your drivers are staying compliant.

To find a Truckie Rest Zone near you, go to www.nzi.co.nz/truckie-rest-zone-events