Bruce Highway truck drivers rest easier with new truck stop

Truck drivers on the Bruce Highway will find it easier to take a break when a new top-rate rest area opens five kilometres south of Miriam Vale this week.

Minister for Transport and Main Roads Paul Lucas said the $475,000 heavy vehicle rest area was an investment in safety to keep pace with the growing Bruce Highway traffic.

"Over the past five years there has been an increase of 1,000 vehicles a day, including a 26 per cent increase in commercial vehicles," Mr Lucas said.

"With that growth, and with tighter regulations to manage driver fatigue, Main Roads needs to support the freight transport industry by providing better rest areas.

"The new heavy vehicle area is next to the local service station and has shaded parking, toilets and a shower block.

"It will be regularly-serviced and open 24 hours a day."

Mr Lucas said that in the past two years, the state and federal governments have built 24 new motorist and heavy vehicle stopping bays across Central Queensland to help truck drivers.

"Driver fatigue is one of the most preventable causes of vehicle collisions and we are taking steps to counter this problem,'' Mr Lucas said.

The new move is welcomed by road safety campaigners.

Truck driver and road safety advocate, Rod Hannifey, said that the industry had been calling for a number of general safety improvements for many years.

"It is great to see Main Roads responding to these calls and moving forward with safety upgrades," Mr Hannifey said.

"The rest stop will be a great help for drivers on this stretch of the Bruce Highway."

Mr Hannifey was recognised and awarded a Queensland Road Safety Award in 2005 for the Blue Reflector Marking of Informal Truck Rest Areas project, an initiative providing truck drivers with information on informal rest areas.

"There is still a lot more to do, but the transport industry will continue to work with government to improve safety for all drivers," he said.

"This is a good step forward and will be appreciated by the drivers.''

Media Contact: Roanne Johnson 3237 1145