Female truckies send strong message
The Pilbara Heavy Haulage Girls organised an interactive display of heavy vehicles, training and career resources and industry support services for a heavy vehicle careers and road safety expo on September 2.
The only organisation of its kind in Australia, Karratha-based not-for-profit organisation Pilbara Heavy Haulage Girls was established earlier this year by the women behind the wheels of road trains and heavy vehicles in WA.
It aims to support and encourage new drivers - particularly women who make up just 3 per cent of the heavy vehicle driver workforce - and educate road users on safe driving practices around heavy vehicles.
To highlight the importance of road safety, the girls had a 500m-long pathway meandering through the displays on which 188 pairs of shoes were placed to act as a reminder of the men, women and children whose lives were lost on Australian roads in crashes involving heavy vehicles last year.
Spokeswoman Lyndal Denny said many road users, particularly international and interstate tourists, were unfamiliar with the simple, lifesaving driving procedures that could be applied to ensure everyone's safety while sharing roads with road trains.
She said statistics showed the at-fault status of truck drivers in road crashes involving heavy vehicles to be less than 10 per cent, with more than 90 per cent attributed to car driver error.
"With three times as many males killed on our roads as females, it is critical we get our 'share the roads safety and respectfully' message out into the community," she said.
Local heavy vehicle companies, emergency service personnel, road transport pilots, Pilbara Road Safety Alliance and Transport Workers' Union representatives were also present to demonstrate safe driving practices and showcase the latest advances in road transport technology.
For those who missed out on the expo and are interested in a career in the road transport industry, members of the Pilbara Heavy Haulage Girls and the WA Logistics Training Council can be contacted on phhg@outlook.com or logisticstc@logisticstc.asn.au .
