Truck wash crisis

With the Goulburn saleyards truck wash only open on sale days, transporters say they are knocking back work or travelling long distances to maintain clean vehicles.

Carrier Richard Carter described it as a “huge issue” that had to be solved. 

“Environmental authorities, the Roads and Maritime Service, police, the RSPCA and livestock industry bodies are all requiring that we have clean transport for stock,” he told the Post.

“A (readily available) truck wash is not just an industry issue but one for the whole community. The question is how do we get it? This has to be answered by everyone.”

Carriers and other interests can only wash their vehicles from late Monday morning through to Thursday evening at the Goulburn saleyards.

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If they have stock to carry on days the facility is closed, they must use other truck washes or reject work. Carrier Fred Troutman has told the Post that he’s done this on several occasions.

The vehicles must be clean to meet animal health standards.

Some transporters have travelled to Crookwell and Moss Vale truck washes to clean vehicles, involving time and money, Mr Carter says.

Following delivery of a load to Ladysmith beef feedlot near Wagga Wagga recently, he travelled another 25km to that city and back especially to clean his vehicle, knowing he could not do so in Goulburn.

The closure of Braidwood truck wash and availability of Yass’s facility only on sale days had made matters worse.

While locals were well aware of the situation, others were not.

“Other carriers assume they can just wash out their truck in Goulburn but then find they can’t, which is incomprehensible,” Mr Carter said.

“It’s a crisis for the district and for the health and wellbeing of stock.”

He pointed out that the RMS and police could fine carriers up to $400 for spilling stock effluent on roads. Environmental authorities can also impose separate penalties.

Users at Goulburn pay $1 a minute for the truck wash, which, while a vast improvement on a $2.50/min fee several years ago, is higher than the average, Mr Carter says.

Wagga Wagga saleyards, which has a high pressure spray and takes less time, charges 41c/min; Forbes – 36c/min; Finlay – 40c/min; Carcoar 97c/min; Dubbo – 50c/min; Yass – 50c/min and Moss Vale 60c/min, according to Avdata records.

Lobbying has failed to convince Goulburn saleyard owner Kattle Gear Australia to at least open the truck wash more often. With catchment dams at a low level, carriers are not convinced it is for environmental reasons.

The company’s managing director Bill Vowles said the facility was not open seven days a week because he was being “extra careful” about effluent discharge from the site.

The company has been previously penalised numerous times for contaminated runoff and with limited dam storage, must contain all effluent discharge on site. Last April the Southern Regional Planning Panel approved Kattle Gear’s plans to irrigate treated saleyards effluent on a Painters Lane property southeast of Goulburn. However, with the company still meeting consent conditions, the site is not yet operational.

Kattle Gear is yet to upgrade the intersection with Braidwood Rd and Painters Lane. Mr Vowles hoped to start this work, valued at $500,000, in the next eight to 10 weeks.

“When we get it operational and can transfer the excess, it will be all systems go,” Mr Vowles said.

“We can open the truck wash seven days a week but until then we are being conservative to avoid a major environmental incident and to comply with all regulations.”

Yet he conceded the truck wash effluent only represented a small percentage of runoff. The conservative attitude ensured the saleyards could cope in a storm, Mr Vowles said. 

But he hit out at livestock carriers criticising the facility’s partial closure.

“We are not obliged to keep the truck wash open seven days a week for people who don’t have any relationship to our saleyards,” he said.

“…We are doing what we are to stay in business and people have to understand that if we don’t

do it, the saleyards could shut. We’re doing everything we can to keep it open.”