If you are a Formula One fan like me, you'll be excitedly anticipating Liam Lawson getting back in the saddle for Red Bull on 8am Monday morning, flying the New Zealand flag in Austin Texas. Liam is the latest of a proud pedigree of Kiwi drivers, from Bruce McLaren & Denny Hulme, through to Chris Amon and more recently Brendan Hartley.

Becoming an F1 driver means you are joining about as exclusive a club as you can get - to give you an idea, it is only a smidgeon larger than the number of astronauts who have been in space. So performance matters. Liam will have spent the week working on his race readiness, meticulously following all his pre-race procedures to get ready for qualifying on Saturday.

Preparation and readiness are a key part of running road freight networks too, with many transport operators getting back into the saddle after a period of softer demand. We are now on the run into Christmas, with seasonal road freight work steadily building up. Helping that along this week was more good news with the latest quarterly inflation rate down to 2.2% - a major relief for struggling kiwis. Inflation has fallen steeply, from 3.3% in June, and 7% in 2022.

All the signs are 2025 is shaping up to have stronger freight demand than 2024. 

So what can road transport operators do for "race readiness" ahead of the busy period?

A lull before demand ramps up is a golden opportunity to run a lens over the core parts of your business that you need to run smoothly when things are busy:

1. People - don't leave it to the last minute to recruit, the labour pool in New Zealand is increasingly shallow and will not take long to evaporate when the economy heats up

2. Maintenance - use vehicle down time to get on top of maintenance - keeping COFs up to date and trucks match fit keeps your people and our roads safe

3. Costs - before you sign up to new customer contracts, run them through the NRC cost model to check your profit margins are where they need to be

4. Compliance - permits, licences, COFs and audits - don't wait to the last minute to ask NRC for help, get them done straight away and get the worry monkey off your back 

Getting these things done up front will see you in great shape to deliver for your customers when things get busy.  

Justin Tighe-Umbers, Chief Executive, National Road Carriers Assn