Owner drivers and the dependency relationship in the road freight transport industry in Australia

Attempts to explain not only the strategic and operational advantages of owner-driver use by the corporate sector in road freight transport but also the existence of a continuous and frequently excessive supply of owner-drivers. Several theoretical perspectives are used in the process. The explanations revolve around corporate sector risk management strategies and what has been termed the dependency relationship between the corporate sector and owner-drivers and smaller owner-operators. The consequences of this dependency include the emergence of a few firms to positions of dominance in the industry, the inevitability of negative externalities being generated in the form of accidents and excessive wear and tear of the road systems, for instance the perpetration of undesirable and illegal acts by owner-drivers and the futility of blockades by owner-drivers as a means of protest. -Author