This report outlines the findings of a pilot survey conducted by the Transport Research Centre (TRC) at Macquarie university and National Survey Research Pty Ltd (NSR), of long distance truck drivers in Sydney in September 1989. The pilot survey was funded as a seeding grant from the Federal Office of Road Safety and is the forerunner to a wider study of long distance truck drivers throughout Australia in 1990. The objective of the study is to explore the links between the economic conditions in the long distance road freight industry, the pressures placed on the on-road behaviour of drivers and the implications for the safety of the road environment. As emphasised throughout this report, the conclusions that we have drawn from the analysis of the data collected in our pilot survey must be considered in the light of the limited sample size of that survey and thus can only be considered as preliminary and subject to change in the main survey. However, the pilot survey has been successful in clarifying a number of important issues in the trucking industry which are worthy of further investigation. It has confirmed our initial hypothesis that the underlying economic conditions in the industry are a significant contributor to the on-road behaviour of drivers. These conditions, which manifest themselves in declining freight rates, tightening schedules and increasing competition confront drivers daily as they try to forge a living on the road. If the problem of safety on our roads is to be addressed, and solved satisfactorily, it is important to look beyond the symptoms of speeding, infringement of driving time regulations, and driver fatigue and consider the underlying causes which result in this behaviour. The data collected in the main survey will allow us to analyse the relationship between these symptoms and possible causes which we believe will add to the understanding of the structure and the operation of the trucking industry in Australia and form the basis for recommendations for changes which will contribute to improving safety on our roads.
Samenvatting