Transporters ignore flood travel warnings

Transport companies are going to extraordinary lengths to supply as much as Queensland as they possibly can despite warnings to stay off the road.

Six of Australia’s leading trucking industry bodies, including the Australia Trucking Association (ATA), have warned transporters not to leave home, however many are attempting circuitous routes to keep freight moving.

The Chairman of the ATA, David Simon, said that trucking companies need to check with NSW RTA and Queensland Transport about road closures before they leave.

“There are already 30 to 40 trucks stranded at the top of the Toowoomba range with nowhere to go,” Mr Simon said.

The chief executive of the Australian Livestock Transporters’ Association (ALTA), Phillip Halton, has echoed these warnings.

“Now is not the time for non-essential transport operations to be on the roads. This is a crisis.” Mr Halton said.  
Other logistics companies and retailers are sending trucks on wide swings through western Queensland, directing goods into the state from the Northern Territory rail line, and launching barges up the coast to help supply the far north with life’s basics.

Woolworths has also started looking at alternative routes to the north. To get goods to Mt Isa, Woolworths is sending them up the Adelaide-to-Darwin rail line and then by truck from Tennant Creek. The retailer has also started barging supplies to Townsville.

Meanwhile, the Port of Brisbane remains closed to all commercial shipping after it was crowded with floating debris. It is believed to be the first time a major Australian port has closed for an extended period since the waterfront dispute of 1998.
 
Subject to results from its hydrographic surveys, river conditions, and navigational hazards, the earliest possible movements of priority shipping in the port would be Sunday 16 January. The Harbour Master will continue to work to assess the conditions, which are currently severe, and may remain that way for some time.

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