ATA wants higher standards for truck rest stops

ATA wants higher standards for truck rest stops

The Australian Trucking Association (ATA) has responded to a recent report from Austroads, a government-funded research organisation, that deemed toilets, lighting, and water to be “desirable” rather than mandatory at truck rest areas. The ATA wants Austroads and the Australian government as a whole to reevaluate these guidelines in order to improve the quality of life for truckers and help curb the driver fatigue problem that many drivers face.

“Our roads and rest areas are a driver’s workplace and we have little chance of resolving fatigue if drivers are not provided with basic human rights to get the job done,” says Ben Maguire, CEO of the ATA. “Access to toilets, lighting and water are a basic human right, yet the highest proposed truck rest area classifications only list these as desirable. These amenities are a requirement. No other workplace would compromise on these facilities, so why should drivers have to? Having appropriate rest area facilities for heavy vehicles is not optional. It’s not nice to have: it is a fundamental requirement and obligation for road providers and government”

Solutions from the ATA

The ATA laid out some important guidelines for what should and shouldn’t be done in regards to truck rest stops. As a start, the organisation says that there should be rest areas every 20 kilometres, no general parking in truck-specific areas should be allowed, and rest areas should never be closed so they can serve as storage space for road agencies. There is also a specific request to look at facilities for female drivers and reevaluate whether there should be separate bathrooms vs. unisex alternatives.

“The Austroads report does not go far enough to acknowledge the need to treat heavy vehicle operators with respect, nor the important link these basic amenities have on the safety and well-being of drivers,” Maguire says. “There should be a strong set of guidelines, an independent audit on the current state of rest areas, and then a funded national plan from governments to address the gaps.”

From experience

A lot of what the ATA is asking for comes directly from Maguire’s own experience where he visited a rest area in New South Wales to see what life is truly like out on the road. “Spending the night in a rest area was my chance to better understand life on the road and the shortcomings of Australia’s rest areas,” says Maguire. “The amount of noise was far louder than what is acceptable in a normal workplace and the bathroom facilities were poorly lit. If I were a lone female truck driver pulling up for a rest, I would not feel comfortable nor safe using these facilities.”