New South Wales’ peak trucking industry body, ATA NSW, has urged the State Government to act on landside reforms at Port Botany, following another weekend of delays at DP World’s terminal.

After a number of weeks of problems, the situation at the port reached a crisis point over the weekend, with truck drivers forced to queue for over five hours in temperatures hovering around 38.5 degrees Chair of ATA NSW’s Container Section Sub-Committee, Mike Moylan, says last weekend’s situation was the final straw for the trucking industry.

 "This is about the fundamental and non-negotiable issue of the safety of our drivers and the broader community," Mr Moylan says.

"Truck drivers cannot be expected to queue for five or six hours in sweltering heat and then operate a heavy vehicle to the limits of their legal working hours.

"Nor should the public be subject to negotiating their cars through huge truck queues 24 hours a day and on weekends.

"The risk to our drivers and the community is too great and cannot be tolerated any longer."

Mr Moylan says the NSW Government needs to act immediately to fix the problems at Port Botany.

"The stevedores control a major portion of the infrastructure that is crucial to the NSW economy," Mr Moylan says. "They have shown by their own performance and actions that they are not prepared to effectively manage these critical assets of NSW.

"We will be seeking an early meeting with the new Minister for Ports and Waterways, Paul McLeay, where we will ask him to make the stevedores accountable for their actions by bringing in tough legislation that protects the people and assets of NSW.

"Sydney Ports and the government have given the stevedores adequate warning but it has fallen on deaf ears."