THE Livestock and Rural Transport Association of WA (LRTAWA) has continued to lobby Transport Minister Simon O'Brien to extend the Harvest Mass Management scheme to all times of the year.
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It believes there are inconsistencies within different industries, with the transport of export hay given more flexibility than that of export grain.
Currently the scheme runs from October through to the end of February, but Kojonup grain transporter Neville Matthews believes the deregulated grain industry has meant the scheme needs to be extended.
Mr Matthews, whose family business also exports grain and trades in grain as well as carting it, said farmers were now storing more grain on farm and selling it all year round, not just at harvest time.
"Farmers are able to play the market more now," Mr Matthews said.
"They hold onto grain and wait for a price spike and then sell, which means grain trucks are working almost 12 months of the year, not just at harvest time.
"So the scheme should apply year round."
Mr Matthews said it took drivers longer to adjust back to the original load parameters when the scheme ended in February.
"Farmers are also hurting at the moment with input costs and so on and if you drop five to six tonnes off a road train load, then it costs them," he said.
"We need an urgent approach to this.
"Export hay can be carted all year round with these parameters, why can't export grain."
Mr O'Brien said deregulation only occurred recently and while CBH did try and get ahead of the game early, the performance of the logistics chain in the new regulated market took some adjusting to.
"There are now fluctuations in the market from month to month, rather than harvest to harvest and we want to build the flexibility we need into the system," Mr O'Brien said.
"Extending the scheme beyond February has come under very active consideration, but at the moment we are erring on the side of caution.
"I have looked at the extension period and I am sure there will be some progress made there.
"We are showing an awareness of the environment that farmers and truck drivers have to work in now, but I also make no apologies for wanting to have as much grain on rail as possible."
Mr Matthews said after the meeting that while he was appreciative of the Minister's comments, he wasn't overjoyed with the response.
"One section of the rural community is being looked after and the other is not," he said.
"There is pressure on the farming community and extending the scheme would take a little bit of that pressure off."
