Landmark Transport Survey About To Close

Monday is the last chance for members of the road transport industry to have a say on what are the key issues affecting them.

Transporting New Zealand’s landmark look at the industry, the 2025 National Road Freight Survey, is being run by independent survey firm Research New Zealand and closes at noon on Monday, March 31.

Transporting New Zealand’s Policy and Advocacy Lead, Billy Clemens, says although there has already been a good response to the survey, now is the time for all members of the industry to make sure their voice is heard, on a variety of issues.

He says people have commented on the reliability of the Cook Strait ferries and the state of the roading network, including such issues as poor road surfacing or insufficient overtaking facilities.

"We want to know what impact are economic pressures having on your business? What are the main workforce challenges and do you have problems finding enough drivers?

"What do you think about sustainability and decarbonisation, and if enough is being done for the health, safety, and well-being of drivers?"

Clemens says one major change that will affect the industry is random roadside drug testing. New legislation enabling testing has just passed its third reading in Parliament and will be passed into law this year.

He says the move will complement the random drug testing already commonplace in the road freight sector, where driver health and safety is a top priority.

"Our members take road safety seriously - the health, safety, and wellbeing of drivers is currently one of the top three issues flagged in our 2025 Road Freight Industry Survey," he says.

"This legislation is a practical step towards improving road safety outcomes for all road users."

Initial results in the public part of the survey have already been released.

Polling shows plenty of positive public sentiment towards truck drivers, with more than seven times as many people surveyed having a positive view of road freight drivers compared to those taking a negative view (52 per cent to 7 per cent).

The survey respondents noted truck drivers’ professionalism and skill, essential service and economic contribution, and hard work and long hours, as the leading three reasons for the results.

Clemens says the results are a great recognition of the great work New Zealand’s 33,000 professional truck drivers do, moving nearly 93 per cent of the country’s freight task.

The online survey is confidential and takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. Everyone who completes the survey goes into a prize draw for a $500 House of Travel voucher and a $500 Bridgestone voucher.

To complete the survey, go to:https://survey.researchnz.com/S2/1/RoadFreight/

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