Key priorities for workforce development over the next decade
For the freight and supply chain sector the next decade will be one of transformation.
AI will enable faster calculations and modelling, and better back-end systems to process the Yottabytes of data created throughout the supply chain.
Justin’s Transport Minute – 07/11/25
This week I had the pleasure of attending an Auckland Business Chamber breakfast event on “under-pressure infrastructure”. Something we have heard a lot about lately.
Justin’s Transport Minute – 31/10/25
Since 2024 NRC along with other transport industry associations have been working to get some rule changes made for commercial and heavy transport. It’s been thirty years since the Land Transport Act has been refreshed in any meaningful way, and the industry is moving fast with frequent technology and transport innovations. Keeping rules and regulations fit for purpose is critical for keeping the road freight supply chain effective and efficient.
Overdue land transport review will cut red tape says National Road Carriers Association
The government’s consulting on modernising outdated land transport rules is long overdue and welcomed with open arms by National Road Carriers Association (NRC).
Justin’s Transport Minute – 23/10/25
As I write this, a spring storm is hammering the South Island and lower North Island. Parts of the West Coast are cut off by flooding. Winds of up to 150 km/h have hit Canterbury, where a local state of emergency has been declared. Several trucks have been blown onto their sides.
NRC pleased with NZTA endorsement of RoNS
National Road Carriers Association (NRC) is pleased to see rapid progress is being made on bringing all the projects listed in the Roads of National Significance (RoNS) closer to construction start.
Justin’s Transport Minute – 17/10/25
Two incidents last week, one in the North Island, one in the South, highlighted how fragile New Zealand’s freight network remains, and the real people and business costs borne by operators every time a highway shuts down.
Justin’s Transport Minute – 10/10/25
This week Transport Talk ran an article citing the most recent Centrix Credit Indicator report, which revealed liquidations in the transport sector were up 52% over the previous 12 months, higher than even construction (38% up) and hospitality (49% up).
Smarter Freight Starts Here: NRC Backs Major Government Move
You may have missed it, but this week the government announced the biggest change in freight and supply chain policy in decades.
At first glance it may have looked like just another bland policy announcement about plans from the government.
But it is far more than that.
New Freight Action Plan and Advisory Council are huge wins says NRC
The Government’s new Action Plan for Freight and Freight Advisory Council and updated National Freight Demand Study will strengthen supply chain resilience says National Road Carriers Association (NRC) CEO Justin Tighe-Umbers.
Justin’s Transport Minute – 26/9/25
From Romans to Roading Contractors: What It Takes to Build Roads That Last Building durable roads is something that we’ve been doing at least since Roman times, and possibly stretching back […]
Justin’s Transport Minute – 19/9/25
This week I had the pleasure of attending the 29th Annual CBAFF Conference. Each year this is a must-attend event for me, bringing together key businesses from across the freight and supply chain sector including many NRC members. Shipping lines, ports, port transport operators, freight forwarders and customs brokers made up the majority of the room, along with sponsors and industry suppliers.
The beauty of this event is hearing first hand from people working up and down our export and import supply chain. It broadens perspective and understanding of the complexity of keeping this critical economic enabler running.
Business Failures Are Leaving Workers in the Lurch – It’s Time for Change
In recent months, we’ve seen a troubling pattern emerge across New Zealand’s freight and logistics sector: business failures are increasingly leaving employees in the lurch — unpaid, unsupported, and in some cases, facing precarious immigration situations.
Navigating the Future of Freight: Empowering Operators with the Updated NRC Cost Model Tool
In the dynamic and often challenging world of road freight, understanding your costs isn’t just good business practice – it’s the bedrock of survival and growth. For decades, the National Road Carriers (NRC) Cost Model Tool has been an indispensable resource for thousands of freight operators across the country, helping them gain a detailed understanding of their true cost of doing business.
New Zealand’s Workplace Safety Record Demands More Than Cones
When businesses are struggling to make ends meet, it’s easy for safety to take a back seat. Easy but disastrous.
AT reforms must make freight a priority, rather than an afterthought
Freight must be treated as a priority, no longer a planning afterthought, as part of the Government’s and Auckland Council’s restructuring of AT announced last Friday.
Justin’s Transport Minute – 5/9/25
This week I had the pleasure of attending the 29th Annual CBAFF Conference. Each year this is a must-attend event for me, bringing together key businesses from across the freight and supply chain sector including many NRC members. Shipping lines, ports, port transport operators, freight forwarders and customs brokers made up the majority of the room, along with sponsors and industry suppliers.
The beauty of this event is hearing first hand from people working up and down our export and import supply chain. It broadens perspective and understanding of the complexity of keeping this critical economic enabler running.
Justin’s Transport Minute – 28/8/25
Friday night National Road Carriers held our 89th Annual General Meeting at the Jet Park Inn, gathering members, sponsors and supporters. There was a great atmosphere in the room, despite the tough year (or perhaps because of it) everyone enjoyed getting together and catching up over a drink
Justin’s Transport Minute – 22/8/25
There has been unprecedented feedback following my article last week “Systemic failure killed Johnathon Walters” which explored a needless death of a roadworker by an unroadworthy truck. And rightly so, this issue strikes at the heart of safety and compliance in our industry.
Justin’s Transport Minute – 15/8/25
There has been unprecedented feedback following my article last week “Systemic failure killed Johnathon Walters” which explored a needless death of a roadworker by an unroadworthy truck. And rightly so, this issue strikes at the heart of safety and compliance in our industry.