Following a recent survey which revealed 60% of caravanners had parked in a truck-specific rest area, and 22% did so often, grey nomads and other travellers are again being warned of the potentially severe implications of doing so.
The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) poll, which spoke to 1,000 car drivers, also found a high number of motorists were not sure why they should not park in truck rest stops.
The ABC reports that truck drivers face heavy penalties if they miss scheduled rest breaks and carefully plan their routes around places where they can safely stop.
“I think you would go a very long way to find a truck driver who hasn’t been impacted by a caravanner who’s just decided that they can pull into a heavy vehicle rest stop,” Women in Trucking Australia chief executive, Lyndal Denny, told the broadcaster.
Truckies are normally on a schedule and plan their rest breaks. PIC: Cizza
“That means we can’t park there and we need to find somewhere else … so we’re not able to have a shower, we’re not able to have a meal, and most importantly we’re not able to have a good night’s sleep.”
The ABC reports that a recent social media campaign created by the NHVR aims to improve understanding among drivers around how to share the road with trucks.
Comedian Jimmy Rees and rugby league player Sam Thaiday are just two of the faces to feature in the videos, sharing tips for caravan users to drive safely around oversized loads and how to keep out of truck blind spots.
NHVR executive director of corporate affairs, Steve Smith, says better communication between road users can help.
“We’ve all got frustrated being behind a heavy vehicle and wanting to overtake it, but use your radio on Channel 40 to check with a driver that’s in front of you and ask questions,” he told the ABC. “The more you can communicate with heavy vehicle drivers out there, you will find they are friendly and they want to help you … they understand by helping you that their job is going to be done safer and they can get along with their business, and everybody wins out of having that conversation.”
Are you a Grey Nomad member yet? Click here to find out about the discounts, competitions and other benefits on offer.
Having driven trucks for nearly 20 years back in the late 60s times have trucks are a lot bigger carrying heavy,wide loads and must run to laws, hours they run I now am a grey nomad and can honestly say I have never stopped in a truck parking bay I agree it all comes down to communication UHF, CBs Wally talkies should be in every car,Ute whatever towing a van should become a legal piece of equipment carried by all.
Bob , great ideas and thanks for your years of service. As well as the ” Do not Overtake Turning Vehicle ” on the back of all trucks , what about two new signs ” Before overtaking please check with driver on CH40″. A bit wordy , but I am sure you geniuses could improve it!
Great idea to have vehicles fitted with CB radios but how do you get people to use them. I have followed many an RV with signs on the rear UHF 40/18 and called them up on both channels with no reply, in one case to tell their awning was starting to open, no reply.
I always have my radio on channel 40 while in my vehicle. Only problem is, Pacific Highway is 29.
Brisbane to Raymond Terrace only 1 truckie grunted; none double indicated. They are very vocal about caravans. I live in Busselton WA and have been on the East Coast since late May and I found the further East I travelled the less contact the truckies want to have with me. I don’t want to have conversations with them but when I say behind the Silverline copy, I’m letting the following truck know I know They’re behind and will slow down to get them around. I have travelled up the West Coast many times and the Radio stays on 40 for wide loads; all the pilots call up. The triples are happy to respond with a thanks mate, have a good trip. Not on the East coast though; they want us off the road. Without all the tourists in caravans, a lot of the truckies would be out of work. we spend big on food and fuel etc be a bit nicer.
I have similar experiences on the East Coast. I never stay in “Truck parking” areas either but I might add that Bad manners are not restricted to the odd caravan owner. There needs to be more courtesy all round, as one mentioned we all need each other.
We’ve had a UHF radio fitted to both our vehicles over the past 13 years.
When its tuned to Ch40 while on highways all that we’ve heard is truckies talking complete & utter drivel to one another.
I agree wholeheartedly, we have CB on Ch 40 in our motorhome. You’re right they are swearing that much or worse you can’t make out what they are saying. (so much static) or abusing us because we just want to travel about 80-90 ks. We always pull over where practicable but very few chances on Bruce Hwy. I get jack of it and turn it off on occasions . We always try to not park in truck bay
We fitted UHF and try ch40, try doing the right thing. Try help trucks get past, they are rude to the point we never turn on UHF now.
Reg
I have never stopped in a truck only zone and have had a caravan since the seventies I biggest problem I find is the states willingly take our rego fees but with the HUGE increase of travellers in vans the rest areas are falling further behind . I have a radio and use it if needed .
This is becoming an increasing problem I have a 5th wheeler towed with. Light truck so I’m 17m hitch
Road Houses provide for
Yes I agree better Communication with the Truck Drivers should be encouraged & I will be looking into UHF Radio Set in my Tow Vehicle for when I am Caravanning in the Future, I give Large Commercial Vehicles the Right of way when Travelling Towing my Caravan, I would always prefer to have them in front of me than behind me being too close to my Rear end .
I hate how they tailgate us, so very intimidating..sometimes just not possible to pull over to let them pass
Often they come close behind to let you know they are there, If you have UHF Ch40 and use it to communicate with the truckies, they will know you know they are there and generally will stay back a bit. Most of them know the road, and if you ask them to let you know when they are going to attempt an overtake, they will usually let you know they are coming and this will allow you to slow down a bit as they are coming around. Remember, they are working for a living, and most of the time we are on holidays.
Australia needs a complete rethink about our road network. The road surface and the number of dual lane sections and other overtaking lanes is appalling and leads to a dangerous environment. The increasing road toll seems to be evidence of this.
The number of heavy vehicle parking areas and the facilities they have is totally inadequate and would not be allowed by OH&S rules in any other industry.
Travellers generally should have more frequent rest areas with proper toilet facilities and the allowance for 24hour parking so travellers can travel safely.
How do we fund this? By a new “user pays” taxation scheme that reflects the road damage done by various vehicle types. The current system does not do this and it not transparent. My understanding is that private users pay a fuel excise while commercial users, who use the roads for profit, are exempt from these charges? It should be clear to users that everyone is paying their fair share.
Brad , I agree more rest stops ( for caravanners ) are needed. They don’t have to be anything fancy , maybe use recycled tires as base, put in a bin and maybe some solar lighting on a sensor? It’s not rocket science!
I keep off channel 40 because of the bad language. Use of the Channel should be limited to relevant topics such as road conditions when to pass, etc- not general chit chat by whoever, truckies included.
Better Radios would have a safety only channel that overrides the Chat/Garbage channel but of course this is more expensive as is, the regulation to enforce it. Until the accident rate goes up the parliament can ignore because they need the money for some other hot potato project. Even on the New England Highway area where I live we have rest areas with no toilets. (Perfectly good trainline was closed through New England). There is a ongoing dispute locally about some toilets that were not upgraded in capacity (causing a stink in more ways than one) because the local council is short – just like most local councils. The system is broken as others have suggested.
I use channel 40 on the road all the time when towing. Always polite, advise truckies to let me know when they are ready to pass and reduce speed once they have pulled out and started passing to let the past quicker.
WA truckies and most in SA and NT are great, polite and happy, however the further east you go the worse the truckies behaviour and attitude becomes.
Passing as close as possible, cutting back in before being past, tailgating, swearing on the radio, changing lanes without indicating. I appreciate it is their job but they do not own the roads and common courtesy and communication works wonders for cooperation with other road users.
Courtesy and road manners works both ways.
Couldn’t agree more, East coast truck drivers are a nightmare and their behaviour on the road is often unacceptably unsafe and dangerous, particularly the tailgating and cutting back. The ridiculous thing is the thrust of articles about the relationship between truck drivers and caravaners generally points the finger at Caravanners for not communicating or understanding the truckers. Caravanners mostly have one aim when on the road and that is to arrive safely at their destination, we’re not deliberately trying to make life hard for intolerant truck drivers. The truck drivers need to look at themselves, back off and start behaving like professional drivers, not kings of the road!
Totally agree Craig, WA,SA&NT are the most polite trickiest I have come across. I scan Channel 18/40 when I’m towing and if I see a truck coming up behind me via mirrors or rear camera I always call them up and ask them to overtake when they deem necessary. Some respond in positive ways and some have a casual chat. I have never had a cranky trucky. Be nice to them they will be nice to you, they may even pull over and help you out if you are in distress.
I agree with you. Mostly they are polite and seem to appreciate me contacting them. They are professional drivers and know how to behave (usually). If I find they are swearing too much around me I ask them to tone it down please because of xxx. Most do.
Treat them like you would like to be treated and they are nice to share the road with and also very helpful.
If you meet them in the city and end of their journey trip they are tired. Give them the space they need. Your trip will be better.
One problem with rest areas in NSW is there are usually only 3 spaces available for caravans in the car/caravan area and I have often encountered cars parked in those spaces so why not have some designated caravan/motorhome spaces allocated in the truck area which often are mostly empty
Obviously truck parking is for trucks and caravanners should not go there. On the other hand caravanners need somewhere to get off the road when they are too tired to drive safely.
What is a heavy vehicle? My motorhome is built on a 13.9 GVM truck body. Can I park in a “heavy vehicle only” parking areas? I am certainly treated as a heavy vehicle when it comes to getting a medical for my HR licence.
Do you run a NHVR logbook if stay out of truck parking bays. Pretty simple
What is a truck?
In SA my Ute is classified as a truck for registration purposes and my rego fees are higher than an “every day” vehicle. Does this give me the right to use truck parking rest areas. Technically, probably, “yes” but commonsense tells me, “no,” and accordingly I stay clear.
I might add that with a caravan attached I am also charged truck rates when using toll roads interstate.
We all need to communicate on the road.
I have tried several times to call a semi and they don’t respond.
It works both ways. Truckies abuse the caravans. We don’t need a conversation but to talk when required.
We need to turn on the UHF and communicate especially if broadcasting an alert.
I feel for the truckies as they have schedules to keep and need their rest stops. There needs to be more signs saying trucks only, then maybe more caravaners will not stop in them. With regards to communication with truck drivers, I feel that all people who tow a caravan should have a two-way radio fitted in their vehicle. It should be mandatory for safety reasons. I have been pulling a van for more than a decade and have always had one in my vehicle. I also drove a coach for Ansett Pioneer back in their hay-day “many years ago ” and had a two-way radio then in the coach. It is all about communication and safety with each other, asking when it’s safe to pass their truck and to let the truckies know when it is safe for them to pull back in front of you if they have passed your car and van.
Everyone on saying that they a trucks need to realise if they are not running a NHVR logbook you are not a truck. Plan your trip better.
Tim, take a chill pill mate the “truck” comments are tongue in cheek comments we all know that we are not in the “truck category”.
If that is so why do people park in truck bays. It is a real problem for a person running to hours.
I don’t have any experience of the east coast truck drivers so I can’t comment about them. However I have towed my caravan across the Nullarbor and up the Stuart Highway South Australia to Alice Springs and experienced the friendly truck drivers sharing the road with me. But I have towed my caravan a lot in the Pilbara and Kimberley of Western Australia. The Pilbara and Kimberley Trucks can be huge and slow. Especially climbing the hills heading north from Newman to Port Hedland. 4 trailers or approx. 50-60 metres long and hauling massive tonnage. Then there is the oversize trucks. Wow! Its then that you appreciate that the oversize truck’s Pilot ‘owns’ the road. These truck drivers and Pilots are the most friendly and helpful people. I have spoken to a few and they appreciate caravanners using the 2 way radio. They usually can’t see our aerial over the top of the caravan so they want us to contact them so they know we know they are there. I struggled to convince my partner that we needed a 2way as she believed it was just more unnecessary technology but was quickly converted when we travelled on these highways. Yes they should be compulsory in all caravan or camper tow vehicles and other RVs. When towing my Coromal caravan I cruise at about 90kmh the trucks want to cruise at 100kmh. They have a job to do and need to pass me so I call them up and say something like — “Coromal caravan to the Truck behind. When you choose to pass me I will pull back to help you get through”. I get lots of thanks – even got called a legend. lol They then know they only need about 1/2 to 1km to pass and not many kms. So get a 2way, use it and lets all be friends on the road.
Could not agree more with you Shane, I have been pushing for this a while now. Please go onto the “Truck Friendly website and Facebook page” where there is a very good gentleman who is willing to help and share information about truck drivers and caravan nerd using our open roads. If you have a UHF Radio get a sticker from him or even me (I have a couple) that let truck drivers know you have a radio and it is switch on for you and them to know what’s going on.
Hey Hobbsy. Great idea. I would love a sticker if that helps. How do I get a sticker? I tried the FB site but failed to find a direction.
Just wondering, does the use of hand held mic on the UHF radio bring the same fines and demerit points as using a mobile phone when driving?
I agree with Bob. I’m a truckie’s wife, & not even in the car have we stopped at a truck parking bay. It’s just not fair on the truckies.