Coles has been a focus of the TWU's road transport campaign.
Truck drivers and their employers presented a united front at the TWU National Council in Darwin in their calls for a greater focus on road safety in the supply chain.
ARTIO (Victorian Branch) secretary/treasurer Philip Lovel AM told the National Council that the Road Safety and Remuneration Tribunal had an important job to do in protecting industry safety standards.
"The road freight industry is going through a very difficult time, and companies are under constant pressure from clients to reduce costs and increase efficiency.
"But there's only so far that you can go in reducing costs before you start sacrificing safety standards.
"No-one is seeking to hide from competitive pressure, but competition should be on the basis of value and service – not on the basis of cutting corners or bending the rules of common sense."
Philip Lovel also called for the government to establish a fund to support industry training and accreditation programs for both drivers and employers, and to support measures that continue to improve industry safety.
He said a recent large survey of transport operators revealed industry accreditation and training issues as critical.
"It would be great to see increased cooperation from governments, industry bodies and the companies at the top end of the supply chains on this important issue."
TWU national secretary Tony Sheldon backed the call for Governments to support the industry in these important road safety matters.
"Drivers and road freight companies are keen to pursue new ways of working together to achieve better outcomes for the industry.
"Training and accreditation programs are vital to improving standards, but they must be properly resourced.
"The end clients in the supply chain need to get on board and be part of a holistic industry approach to safety, alongside transport companies, the union and governments."
