28 Jan 2022

Tapping into a truck driving

From Afternoons, 1:50 pm on 28 January 2022

Kiwi truck drivers are being asked for their thoughts on how we can address climate change in a new competition.

Lindsay Wood, director of the climate change consultancy group Resilienz, tells Jesse Mulligan about it.

road and mountains from truck cab

Photo: Oscar Nilsson on Unsplash

Lindsay Wood, director of the climate change consultancy group Resilienz

Lindsay Wood Photo: Supplied

As someone working on climate strategy, Wood says he's always looking for ways to connect with industries challenged by what we need to do to decarbonise our economy.

To get ideas on how to decarbonise the trucking sector who better to ask than New Zealand's 20,000-odd truckies themselves?

"if you want good ideas, go to the shop floor, to the people who are actually doing the job."

'We've got all these trucks on the road with drivers behind every wheel with lots of time on their hands to think about things… but also they're going into every corner o the country. They probably see more of places and businesses and what people do than anywhere in the country. And I thought wow, what an amazing think tank."

Truck drivers may not be used to being asked for their opinions but they're switched on, Wood says.

'They see things, they have great ideas. We're trying to give an avenue to a safe place where they can share ideas.

"They might say look, roadworks could be managed a bit different… or the way public drive their cars could be better.

"There's no such thing as a crazy idea, we just want to hear the thoughts of the people who are keeping us ticking over during covid."

The Trucking Towards A Better Future competition runs from 1 February to 31 March and $7500 worth of prizes are available.

It's open to not just truckies but anyone involved with the trucking sector. Entries can be sent via post or email. More info is here.