With the Easter holidays approaching, many mums and dads begin to ask that age old question “What are we going to do with the kids?”
Many families do not have the luxury of having another family member on hand to look after children during the holidays. People have to work.
I remember when I was a kid, there was nothing better than jumping in the truck with dad and spending the day with him. Some of my most fond memories are of these times. But, that was back in the early 80's and it goes without saying, the world is a different place now.
We didn't have to worry about seat belts. Not because of laws, but because the truck didn't have them. There were no crazy people coming the other way, attempting to drive whilst sending a text message and Googling who won MAFS .
Things were a lot simpler and slower back then.
The majority of Australian Trucking companies would have policies preventing; or at a minimum, restricting drivers from taking family members in the truck with them. This is not because they want to be difficult or heartless. There are a number of reasons; other than the obvious, that just make it impractical to have passengers in the truck. One main reason being that most customer loading and unloading sites do not allow passengers.
If you have your own truck or you work for a company that does allow you to take your children with you, it is advised to try and make the trips as short as possible. The short attention span of kids may end up making the experience a negative one, instead of the positive bonding experience you were hoping for.
From a legal standpoint, there is limited information available detailing what is, and isn't legal when safely restraining children in a truck seat. The general advice is that children over 145cm tall should be able sit in the front of a vehicle; if that is the only option, without the need for a booster seat or equivalent.
It is important to note that laws change from state to state, so you will need to check out your states law. Here are some useful links to different state information sites:
WA https://www.transport.wa.gov.au/licensing/heavy-vehicle-safety.asp
SA http://mylicence.sa.gov.au/road-rules/seatbelts-and-child-restraints
VIC https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/safety-and-road-rules/vehicle-safety/child-restraints
NSW https://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/roads/safety-rules/road-rules/seatbelts.html
QLD https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/safety/rules/children
NT https://nt.gov.au/emergency/child-safety/child-restraints
ACT https://www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au/app/answers/detail/a_id/1844/~/child-restraints-in-vehicles
TAS https://www.transport.tas.gov.au/roadsafety/people/carseats
If you have any questions about this article or would like to get in touch with our team, please contact us.
