Isuzu flags two-pedal future

A shift towards two-pedal trucks will assist Australian in addressing the nation's growing truck driver shortage, says Isuzu chief

Isuzu Australia Limited's CEO, Phil Taylor (pictured), says this nation's relatively slow uptake of trucks with automatic and automated manual transmissions is contributing to the on-going labour shortage within the industry.

And with Australia's road freight task set to triple by 2050, Taylor says the driver shortage is only set to get worse.

"I get the same shocked reaction every time I talk to people outside the transport industry about Australia's freight task projections and, to be honest, their reactions are warranted," Mr Taylor said.

"Short-haul metro freight is showing a particularly dramatic increase. It already stands at 28 per cent of the total national freight task, so it's not over-stating things to suggest that we, as manufacturers and as an industry, have a genuine battle on our hands to meet growing demand."

One option, said Mr Taylor, is to phase out manual transmissions in the light-duty segment.

"We've witnessed, and indeed reacted to, the two-pedal trend as it's swept across Australia's automotive markets but, unlike the Americans and Europeans, it's taken far too long for Australia to adjust," Mr Taylor said.

The boom in online shopping is another factor reshaping the industry.

"Consumers are highly informed and they demand immediacy in their transactions," said Mr Taylor.

"The simple fact is, this shift in consumer behaviour brings with it a critical need for easy-to-operate light trucks and more drivers to operate them.

"There’s been very strong growth in the light truck segment in recent times. The segment has shown the strongest growth in the last couple of years, jumping to over 12,000 registrations in 2015."

Drilling deeper into the stats, Mr Taylor said Truck Industry Council (TIC) figures reveal that just over 55 per cent of light-duty trucks sales year to date have been of the two-pedal variety.

"This is up over seven per cent from last year's figure and up 16 per cent on 2013 two-pedal sales," he said.

"These TIC numbers prove we're on the right track but, whilst the numbers are good, there's a raft of other factors that highlight the need for even more two-pedal light trucks, and more drivers to operate them."

According to a recent AustRoads study, light trucks accounted for just three per cent of vehicles on the road in the four Australian cities surveyed, yet they handled a massive 77.3 per cent of the urban freight task.

"This demonstrates very clearly the task at hand, and the need for a sharper focus for manufacturers on 'ease of use' and overall 'accessibility' when it comes to product development," Mr Taylor said.

"Whilst Australia has slowly cottoned on to the two-pedal trend, we have a way to go before we see the sort of take-up rate that we need to ensure industry labour demands are met.

"We must ensure that driving trucks is a genuine and secure career path for prospective employees and employers, and part of that journey starts with the product and its applicability to the end user.

"There's a patchwork of other issues feeding into Australia's driver shortage, but without some considered thought at this base level, we're doomed to be forever reactionary."

Isuzu flags two-pedal future

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