Dubbo Regional Council: A unanimous vote calls for report from Transport NSW of more truck stops

A Dubbo truckie is advocating for more rest stops in the region, following more than 750 collisions involving heavy vehicles in 2022. Read the latest here.

A Dubbo truck driver and advocate has pleaded for more truck stops and functioning facilities in the region following a shocking number of crashes on roads across the central west.

Dubbo Regional Council unanimously voted for the chief executive officer Murray Wood to provide a report with an update from Transport for NSW on the status of existing and future rest areas for freight traffic surrounding the Dubbo Local Government Area.

The Dubbo News understands there have been 778 casualty crashes in NSW involving heavy trucks, resulting in 45 fatalities and 281 serious injuries in 2022.

Last year there were five casualty crashes involving heavy trucks in the region, resulting in no fatalities and no fatalities and one serious injury.

Dubbo being a major transport hub in NSW and a middle ground for freight between Melbourne to Brisbane and Sydney to Darwin, Rod Hannifey expressed the need for a major truck stop in the area.

Truck advocate Rod Hannifey. Picture: Supplied.

“I’ve had a number of discussions with Transport for NSW about the lack of facilities … there is not a toilet, the bins haven’t been replaced,” he said.

“If you’re a driver coming through Dubbo you can’t park anywhere near the BP which is the only place you can realistically have a shower because there is no parking there – we are criminally lacking.

Freight trucks entering Dubbo as they travel on the Newell Highway.

“There is nothing for a driver who has driven 10 hours from either end to come into town, have a shower, have a meal and go to bed.

“There are better facilities in a lot smaller towns that are only on one highway, and we can’t seem to provide that in Dubbo because they don’t consider the importance of the road transport industry,” Mr Hannifey said.

Dubbo Regional Council offices. Picture: Ryan Young

Councillor Shibli Chowdhury expressed there is only one rest area in Dubbo with a toilet facility.

“There is a growing need for adequate rest facilities for the freight industry,” he told the council chamber.

A Transport NSW spokesman told The Dubbo News the NSW Government is “working to improve heavy vehicle rest stops” throughout the state.

“The initiative is to develop strategies to ensure gaps across the network are identified and addressed while facilities meet the needs of drivers,” the spokesman said.

There are currently five rest areas for heavy vehicles in the Dubbo region, including one near Taronga Western Plains Zoo, near the airport, near the Boothenba Rd intersection, at Brocklehurst and at Wongarbon.