Truck driver is hoping truckies are paid danger money due to the nature of their work. Picture: ROBERT PEET
Three years ago, truckie Steven Corcoran had to climb into the burning wreck of his mate’s truck to try to save him, which resulted in a long bout of post-traumatic stress.
On February 15, 2012, David Barrett died in a head-on crash in North Queensland. Mr Corcoran climbed into the wreck, only to discover he had been crushed, with only the lower half of his body visible.
‘‘Seven hours on the scene there 1000 kilometres from home and then the police say ‘oh, you’re right to go, mate’,’’ Mr Corcoran said.
‘‘That was it, get back in your truck and keep on working. It’s all about cleaning up the road and getting the trucks moving as quickly as possible.
‘‘There’s no findings that get implemented that change anything. There’s no safety outcomes from that crash.
‘‘They just screw down harder on the drivers, increase fines and increase penalties and put more responsibility back on the drivers.’’
Mr Corcoran was off the road for about 18 months with PTSD, only getting back behind the wheel in November last year.
Based on the Gold Coast, he now works out of Port Kembla, delivering BlueScope steel to Queensland.
He’s also started speaking out about truck driver safety, including making a submission to the Australian Senate’s inquiry into road safety.
In that submission he states that, since 2003, 724 truckies have died on the road – enough to fill 16 buses.
As startling as that figure may seem, Mr Corcoran doesn’t believe people really care that much about how many die.
‘‘People hear about truck drivers getting killed or read about it but it doesn’t really register any more,’’ he said.
‘‘You tell people 700 truck drivers have been killed since 2003, they don’t really care. They just want their milk and bread cheap at the shop.’’
In March 2007, former Oak Flats truck driver Trevor Baldwin committed suicide after 18 months of bullying stemming from his discussions to raise safety concerns.
It was later discovered Mr Baldwin drove 33 hours straight – and Mr Corcoran said that still happens ‘‘every day’’.
And the bullying of those who speak out still happens as well.
‘‘If you put your hand up and you talk about safety, you talk about how dangerous it is, you do get bullied and harassed,’’ he said.
‘‘People just want you to shut up and stop rocking the boat. Who’s going to hire a whistleblower? People don’t want to hire a whistleblower. Once you get known as a whistleblower, that’s it, your career is over. You’ve got to find a new career.’’
Mr Corcoran said he was experienced enough to still find work as a truck driver and also was a qualified mechanic.
He said he felt truckies should get ‘‘danger money’’ and the rates of pay needed to be changed, which would reduce the financial pressure to keep driving when it wasn’t safe.
‘‘If you’re not driving, you’re not earning,’’ he said.
‘‘At the moment if you stop because you’re tired, you do not get paid on your breaks. So there’s an incentive not to take your breaks.
‘‘If the [Road Safety Remuneration] tribunal sets a fair rate then the standards will go up and if drivers get paid more and it takes the incentive away to drive and earn, then it will make it safer.’’