Truck Stops Australia

20/06/2026

1000%

What concerns me is the growing financial burden being placed on an industry that is already under immense pressure.

19/06/2026

🚛 The hidden win for drivers in the HVNL changes
In the rush to talk about the big increases in HVNL fines, we may have missed one of the most practical wins for drivers. Especially those who still use a paper work diary.

The updated Written Work Diary requirements remove some of the paperwork traps that have caught drivers out for years.
From the amended HVNL changes on the 1st of August 2026:

✅ marking the day of the week becomes optional
✅ marking standard hours becomes optional
✅ recording daily work and rest totals becomes optional
✅ drivers can continue using their current written work diary until it is completed
✅ EWDs are not being made compulsory — paper diaries remain valid

This is not a small thing.

For years, drivers have been exposed to fines for missing a tick box, not adding up totals, or making minor admin slips that had little to do with actual road safety.

These changes mean fines should no longer be dished out simply because a driver forgot to tick the day, forgot to tick standard hours, or did not add up daily work and rest totals once those requirements are removed.

That is a win for drivers and it did not happen by accident.
Industry fought hard during the HVNL review to make fatigue penalties more proportionate and to separate genuine safety risks from paperwork for paperwork’s sake.

Let’s be clear: this does not mean the diary no longer matters.
The record still must be honest. Drivers still need to record their work and rest properly. False diary entries, altered records, missing pages, or dishonest paperwork are still serious and the penalties for that conduct are going up.

But there is a big difference between a driver making a minor admin mistake and someone falsifying a record.

That is the point.

The amended HVNL is finally recognising that difference.

The NRFA will keep pushing for practical, fair and common-sense regulation that improves safety without punishing drivers for paperwork that does not make the road safer.

Paper diary users are not being left behind.

This is a genuine hidden benefit in the reform. If you have questions or want to know more, reach out to NRFA for support!

19/06/2026

18/06/2026

May aswell start with the positives…… what’s your favourite truck stop in Australia and why ??

16/06/2026

This is the problem…… a driver that’s in Gundagai regularly, no hot water. …….. 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫, how much would each of you spend per year at these roadhouses ?

So it was that time of night. Pulled into a truck stop, grabbed the shower bag and headed in for a well-earned scrub up after a long day.

Walked through the back door and spotted two shower cubicles. Thought to myself, “Beauty! New shower heads. They must’ve spent a few dollars since I was here last.”

Turned the hot water on… cold.

No worries, I’ll let it warm up while I brush my teeth.

Ten minutes later… still cold.

Fifteen minutes later… still cold.

Twenty-five minutes later… it had upgraded itself from Antarctic to slightly offended tap water.

Now, it’s winter. It’s freezing. I’m standing there in a towel negotiating with myself like I’m trying to broker a peace treaty.

“Come on mate, just get under it.”

“No.”

“You need a shower.”

“Also no.”

Eventually I bit the bullet and had the quickest shower known to mankind. I came out cleaner, but somehow with less body temperature than when I went in.

I was going to grab some dinner afterwards, but instead I sprinted back to the truck, cranked the heater and sat there questioning every life decision that led me to that shower.

I won’t name the place, but I reckon a few truckies reading this already know exactly which shower I’m talking about… 😂🚛❄️

I will also add that it is a good truckstop in a great location and I always seem to get a spot, and I do know that a lot of the time it’s not the servo itself that owns the amenities. It’s whoever owns the building and a lot of the time it’s some stingy tight arse that won’t spend any money if there’s no profit in it. Dog on the Tuckerbox at Gundagai the Shell servo there is an absolute amazing location and there is so much more potential for that place but the owners of the building just don’t want to spend the money which is a shame. 

16/06/2026

I intend for this page to be a place for drivers to come and vent about poorly maintained privately owned facilities….. from any posts here , I will set up a line of communication with the roadhouse/truck stop and attempt to get things rectified. If you’re gonna come here and hate on people or just whinge to whinge. I’ll delete you. Time to stick together a bit and get some of these facilities looking after their biggest return customer base.

🍻 Jarrod Bell