ABSTRACT
This chapter attempts to explain some of the complexities of livestock transport. The transport of cattle from the Kimberley region in the north of Western Australia, as this requires virtually non-stop driving for 2400 km to the metro area. Road trains made up of two or three trailers are the most common method of long-distance road transport, pulling combinations of freezer, pantechnicon or flat-top trailers. Aside from the transport of general freight, movement of specialized items for the mining, earthmoving and manufacturing industries is provided by various heavy haulage operators, such as Key Transport. In contrast, the situation which is often the case in the eastern states, is that clients are placing more and more pressures on transport companies who in turn pressurize their drivers. The drivers considered to be the best or ‘top’ operators are those who drive between Broome and the more remote cattle stations in the north-west of Western Australia, often on the roughest of the roads.
