History

In August 2005 the Victorian Government established legislation to provide important protections for Victorian owner drivers. The TWU was instrumental in lobbying the Government on behalf of all Victorian owner drivers to establish this fundamentally important legislation, and we have been central to its development.
 
Owner drivers are engaged in various segments of the transport industry in Victoria, as well as in other industry sectors such as building and construction, manufacturing, retail and wholesale services. The TWU represents owner drivers in a diverse range of areas and industries.  These include:

• General freight hire and reward
• Express Freight
• Courier, parcel & messenger work
• Concrete Carting
• Car Carrying
• Taxi Trucks
• Tip Truck work
• Refrigerated Transport
• Furniture removal
• Livestock 
• Patient Care
• Oil & Petroleum
• Tow Truck
• Waste Disposal
• Building and construction.
  

The particular circumstances in which owner drivers are engaged will vary to some extent across the above industry segments, which means different rates and conditions can be expected in different industry sectors.

Factors influencing the rates and conditions of owner drivers include the type and age  of vehicles provided by owner drivers, the number of kilometers traveled, and the nature of work performed. Vehicles used by owner drivers may range from bicycles in the courier industry, large prime movers in the general hire and reward industry (including interstate services), vehicles fixed with concrete agitators (building and construction), small vans (courier services) and 4-5 tonne vans or flat bed trucks (express services and taxi trucks).

The Report of Inquiry conducted by Industrial Relations Victoria found that road and rail transport drivers had the fourth highest level of business related personal bankruptcies which is very high when compared with other industries. This may be linked directly to the inferior bargaining position experienced by owner drivers, evidenced by the terms and conditions in many contracts that would otherwise not have been agreed to. This in turn has been found to have significant safety implications for all road users.

The new Owner Driver and Forestry Contractors Act creates historic opprtunities for owner drivers and their families to benefit from collective bargaining and Union representation.  It protects Owner Drivers from making uninformed financial decisions and prohibits unfair conduct.

Owner drivers will be obvious winners from the Act, but the industry as a whole will benefit too.  It will make it easier for businesses to be sustainable in the long term.  Most importantly, because everyone is playing by the same rules, no one will have to cut corners on health and safety to stay competitive.

TWU Services for Owner Drivers

The TWU delivers an extensive range of services for owner drivers.  Member services include:

• free owner driver information kit
• expert advice, representation, and information regarding the Owner Driver Act
• contract negotiation
• notification of changes to rates and running schedules
• individual and joint negotiations with hirers
• assistance with dispute resolution
• VCAT representation
• a voice on the Transport Industry Council
• access to training courses.