CRT News Podcast

In this episode of CRT News Podcast, Peter Shields sat down with Orlane Mortimer of Wollongong Crane Trucks to discuss the specialised world of crane trucking, the challenges facing transport operators and the legacy of a family business built on hard work and community values.

Orlane shares how crane trucks are transforming logistics and construction projects, why safety and operator training remain paramount, and the growing concerns around workforce shortages, rising diesel costs and increasing compliance requirements.

She also reflects on taking the reins of the business following the loss of her father, Darren Mortimer, and the importance of supporting mental health while continuing his legacy through community fundraising and industry leadership. The conversation offers a powerful insight into resilience, innovation and the people who keep Australia's transport industry moving.

In this episode of the CRT News Podcast, Peter Shields sat down with Troy Barlow, founder and Director of JATEC Transport, for an in‑depth conversation about one of Australia's most specialised pallet‑transport operators.

Barlow shares his journey from PepsiCo warehouse work to running a 20‑truck fleet across NSW and Queensland, moving more than one million pallets a month. He breaks down the company's niche pallet‑logistics model, its expansion into Queensland and the upcoming rollout of 36‑pallet B‑double combinations designed to boost efficiency and reduce environmental impact.

CRT News Podcast Host, Peter Shields, sat down with Simon O'Hara, CEO of Road Freight NSW, for a candid industry conversation. From pressures on small operators to the political realities influencing freight policy, O'Hara lays out exactly what's broken and what needs to change.

In this episode, O'Hara unpacks the decade‑long battle over ports and containers, the future of toll reform as well as a critical safeguard for productivity at Port Botany. He also dives into the looming loss of generational knowledge and the urgent need to attract new talent into trucking. His insights into Covid‑era collaboration with government reveal how fragile, and how essential, the freight network truly is.

We also explore O'Hara's push for community engagement and his support for Senator Glenn Sterle's crackdown on sham contracting.

What does genuine safety leadership look like in the road transport industry? Leigh Smart, CEO of Formula Chemicals, in conversation with our host Peter Shields, joins the CRT News Podcast to discuss the realities of managing Dangerous Goods transport in a highly regulated environment. He reflects on his experiences dealing with multiple regulators, implementing new compliance technologies, training drivers and building a culture where safety is everyone's responsibility. Smart also shares why proactive engagement with regulators delivers better outcomes than confrontation, and what the industry can do to improve standards while remaining commercially competitive.