Truckies blast out loud warning over rising fuel costs
Transport workers believe the Australian industry is facing an existential crisis as rising demand for diesel and rising fuel costs dry up businesses.
Truck drivers transporting goods across the country are calling on major retailers, manufacturers and mining companies to increase fuel taxes or fall under the debt cliff.
Unions and transport employers at the Fair Work Commission in Sydney argue big businesses should be forced to calculate fuel prices weekly rather than monthly.
The implementation requires extra costs due to different calculation methods, which will be borne by customers and transferred to the supply chain.
“If we don’t get this right, the road transport industry will grind to a halt,” Transport Workers Union secretary Michael Kaine told reporters on Wednesday.
“Road transport is the backbone of the Australian economy and we must address this current existential crisis.”
The emergency appeal comes after Workplace Relations Minister Amanda Rishworth announced: commission can order within a short period of time to address the concerns of the trucking industry.
Mr. Kaine accused multinational giant Amazon and shopping giant Aldi, among others, of failing to ease the financial hardship of truck drivers.
“These companies are increasing prices using the war as an excuse,” he said.
“Stop shirking responsibility, pull the plugs and make sure you fund those who keep Australia connected.”
Energy Minister Chris Bowen said demand for diesel and other fuels at Easter was 30 per cent higher than in the same period in 2025.
Mr Bowen said 221 of 7,940 petrol stations across the country were diesel-free, which he said showed “petrol and diesel are going out quickly but also coming in”.
“A lot of the day trading that predominates in regional Australia doesn’t work either,” he said.
For 38-year-old trucker Zack O’Brien, his job filling his tank more than doubled from $300 a week to nearly $700 a week in March and April.
The fuel tax has provided relief but is not sustainable in a volatile oil market where the price per liter of diesel has skyrocketed from $1.70 per liter to more than $3 per liter.
“Drivers can’t afford to take a day off,” he said.
“As mom and dad, we are operators. If this (Fair Work orders) doesn’t happen for us, the wheels will grind to a halt and the whole industry will collapse.”
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