In 2019, Bethany Magill was nominated by NatRoad to be a participant in Canberra at the Daimler Truck and Bus Future Leaders' Forum, which was run by the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) and supported by Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific.
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At the time Bethany worked for her parents Alan and Rachael's company Magill Transport which was named the winner of the prestigious TruckSafe John Kelly Memorial Award in 2022 and was accepted on their behalf of her parents by Bethany at the Trucking Australia 2022 conference on the Gold Coast.
Based in Parkes, the company was recognised by the industry for its constant commitment to safety and compliance by considering the safety of its staff and the wider public at the forefront of every aspect of the operation.
Bethany was Dux of her high school, Parkes Christian School and obtained her roadtrain licence when she was just 20 years of age, and went on to earn her Bachelor of Business credentials in 2021.
Growing up in the family business, Bethany gradually became involved in all facets of the operation from logistics through to maintenance management, and throughout her time working in a relatively small road transport enterprise she appreciated the importance of goal and target setting.
Equipped with natural public speaking abilities, Bethany presented at the Transport Women New Zealand group as part of the 2022 Trucking Industry Summit held in Christchurch.
Now 24 and still living at home in Parkes, Bethany has recently joined the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) in the role of the Stakeholder Engagement Officer (SEO) for western NSW.
The NHVR Stakeholder Engagement team aims to strategically work with industry, associations, state authorities, local governments and other stakeholders to obtain insights into the current needs and concerns of the road transport industry, while also providing connections with NHVR subject matter experts.
"The role of an SEO is to be an essential common link and go-between for participants in the industry and the NHVR, and ultimately being someone the industry is comfortable to talk to, and being a liaison point," Bethany said.
"My role ultimately is communicating with all stakeholders of the NHVR including drivers, businesses, road managers, associations and industry at all levels."
The new team of SEOs has been established to assist in the transition of the NHVR taking over many of the functions of the Roads and Maritime Services in NSW which, due to its bordering on three states and one territory, has more truck movements than any other state.
"We already have SEOs in South Australia, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania," Bethany said.
"I was the last piece of the team covering all of those areas where the NHVR operates."
Bethany says she was prompted to take on the SEO role because of the opportunity to be able to network broadly across the industry.
When asked what she thinks qualifies her for this particular role at such a relatively young age she draws upon her grassroots experience.
"Coming from an industry background I feel the main part of this role is having the ability to connect with people at all levels, not just drivers but also being able to speak with road managers and the various industry associations, so there's a fair bit of adaptability required, and thanks to my upbringing I have been exposed to all these different levels," she said.
"I've been around truck drivers since the minute I was born and fortunately, through my family, I've been involved ever since in industry associations and such, and from a young age I've benefitted from a natural exposure to the workings of industry associations."
Bethany is cognisant of the challenge inherent in getting industry and regulator to work cohesively.
"Our ability to connect is essential," she said.
"With a lot of the popular issues such as the HVNL review, which among other matters covers fatigue and the approaches to enforcement, there's feedback to be given and feedback to be received. It goes both ways."
According to Bethany it will only eventuate with industry and the NHVR interacting.
"That's an exciting part of my role that I look forward to contributing to," she said.
"Part of the challenge of my role is improving the way that the regulator and industry interact at all levels."
Bethany's parents Alan and Rachael have supported and encouraged her to expand the parameters of her career.
"As I move into this new role I am open to further diversification of my understanding of the industry, and I am leaning on the experience of my colleagues in the Stakeholder Engagement team as I grow into this role across regional NSW," she said.
This article is courtesy of the Prime Mover Magazine and appears in their May edition.
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