Free Trade with India vs power of NZ Trucking industry protecting corrupt drivers

As NZ scrambles to get a free trade deal with India that gives them access to our immigration process, we see once again the total political power of the Trucking Industry to damage NZ for their interests…

NZ Transport Agency fraud licence scandal: Some of the 459 commercial drivers can resit tests

Commercial drivers who lost their licences after providing fraudulent documents in the licence conversion process may now be allowed to resit driving tests, as the industry renews calls for reform on how such drivers are detected.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) revoked 440 commercial licences in July after an audit uncovered fraud. However, the Herald has learned through an Official Information Act (OIA) that the figure has since risen to 459.

All the drivers were born in India, but none of the converted licences was Indian.

Data from NZTA shows 436 of the converted licences came from the United Arab Emirates, 18 from Australia and five from Canada.

An NZTA spokesperson has told the Herald the agency is changing tack with the nearly 460 drivers.

“NZTA has reconsidered its approach and has decided instead to suspend these drivers from operating commercially,” the spokesperson said.

…the only reason these drivers aren’t being kicked out of the country for fraudulently breaching their worker visas by falsifying their licences is because the Trucking Industry has this Government by the balls.

The one thing (other than the push to privatise roads and create a mass surveillance network) that I don’t ever understand about the perpetual moaning about roads and how right wing drivers seem to have a traumatic meltdown whenever they see an orange road cone, is how they never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever blame the things that creates the vast majority of the pot holes – TRUCKS!

Maintenance is the overlooked and unsexy part of funding new roads, but it’s incredibly important. And when discussing how to pay for it, it’s important to ask: what does the damage? The answer, overwhelmingly, is trucks. Approximately 80% of all road maintenance costs in New Zealand are the result of the damage caused by trucks. According to some estimates, one truck does the equivalent damage to a road of 800 to 1000 cars. 

This is a spiralling problem. As rail has declined due to underfunding, freight has shifted to roads, leading to heavier trucking volumes, more road damage and higher costs to taxpayers.

…80% of the damage comes from Trucks and because the Trucking Industry has its hands around the balls of the National, ACT and NZF Parties, they are forever allowed to be blameless when it comes to the wear and tear of our roads!

Instead of properly funding rail and domestic sea shipping, we have allowed the Trucks to just buy their way onto the roads, roads they then destroy and we all end up paying more for.

They are now doing the same with our immigration. If we had a functioning Fourth Estate this would be a leading issue.

We don’t so once again the Trucking Industry gets to screw us collectively for their profit margins.

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