Revealed: staggering cost of Sydney’s tolls on truckies

Frustrated fright companies are spending more dollars on expensive toll roads than they are on the drivers who use them.

Frustrated fright companies are spending more dollars on expensive toll roads than they are on the drivers who use them.

Wetherill Park freight business Shaw’s Darwin Transport managing director Allan Thornley said a single truck can stack up $28,000 worth of tolls in a year.

A single round-trip from Eastern Creek to Brookvale or a 12-pallet rigid truck is costing Mr Thornely $140 in tolls.

That’s more than the $134 that his drivers’ pocket for the four-hour trip.

“It is unreasonable. The problem is that tolls have increased relentlessly over a number of years due to the contracts with the toll providers. It goes up and up and there is no relief to that,” he said.

Allan Thornley at his trucking company in Wetherill Park with driver Austin Bidal-Cocker. Picture: Tim Hunter.

“The cost outweighs the benefit of the toll road. I’m not objecting to toll roads but they have got to deliver value and the cost has escalated so much that they don’t.

“A tuck goes down a section of the M7 and has to $17 on toll. We estimate $3 of that goes into road maintenance, so why are trucks paying $17?”

Mr Thornley called on the government to engage an independent pricing arbitrator to review the toll road contracts.

The impact of tolls on commercial customers falls most heavily on companies in Sydney’s west, figures from Transurban’s submission to a parliamentary inquiry into tolls found.

About 23 per cent of companies with active Linkt accounts in Western Sydney were spending more than $100 a week on tolls.

This compares to about 4 per cent for the rest of NSW and 9 per cent in the South and Inner Sydney.

The National Road Transport Association has raised the idea of differential or discounted tolls for truck drivers is in their submission to the parliamentary inquiry.

Tolls are a tax on jobs, says shadow roads minister John Graham.

Shadow Roads Minister John Graham critiqued the mounting toll costs: “Tolls like this example are a tax on jobs. It is a tax being paid most by tradies and truckies in Sydney’s west.”

“These costs will be in the spotlight at the tolling inquiry. We will be asking how much is being paid, and who is paying it?”

A spokesman for Transport Minister Andrew Constance said tolls allowed motorways to be created years earlier than otherwise possible.

“Drivers pay tolls to receive a direct benefit, including significant time savings for businesses. Our unprecedented infrastructure program includes about $21 billion spending on free roads which will give drivers more options for their journeys and help address congestion,” the spokeswoman said.

Originally published as Revealed: staggering cost of Sydney’s tolls on truckies