A Sydney truckie has shared his disbelief after pulling in at Nambucca BP for a shower during his drive from Sydney to Brisbane – only to be told that caravanners “get priority” over truck drivers when it comes to the facilities.
Scott Cook, who delivers cars up and down the east coast, was tired and sweaty and really looking forward to a wash – one of the small luxuries in his day.
But when he arrived at the service station, he was told he would have to wait.
“There were only three showers there,” he said.
“I said no worries, cop it on the chin.”
Half an hour later, Cook was still waiting, and three other truck drivers had also turned up.
Next thing, two caravanning families came in looking for a shower.
“They were told they had to pay $5 or $10 and wait.
“Forty-five minutes go by and the people that had been in the showers that were busy came out, and they were caravanning families too.
“The other truck drivers and I said ‘OK sweet, it’s our turn to have a shower now.’
“So, we went to get the keys but we were told no, the caravanners who paid get priority over truck drivers because we get free showers.”
Cook couldn’t believe what he was hearing – especially as he’d just spent $1400 at the bowsers outside.
“The truck drivers were pushed aside because a caravanner spent $5 on a shower!
“That’s a tiny fraction what I spent on fuel.
“Caravanners can easily stop for a shower at a caravan park, in towns, anywhere.
“It’s much harder for truck drivers to stop and get a shower, plus we have fatigue laws to manage, time slots and places to be.”
@scottcook.1293 #truckdrivers #showers #caravanningaustralia #bpaustralia ♬ original sound – Yeah mate copy
He said and the other truckies tried to complain to the staff at BP but didn’t get anywhere.
“The general manager basically said ‘Tough titties’,” he added.
“I had planned to stay and have dinner there, but I just walked away.
“The way we were treated was disgusting.”
Cook, who has been a truck driver for 12 years, said BP Nambucca has lost his business and the business of the other truck drivers who were there on the day.
“Nambucca is basically a halfway point between Sydney and Brisbane, and a lot of truckies stop there for diesel, showers, food, and their mandatory seven-hour breaks.
“It was convenient for me but I won’t be going there ever again.
“I’d rather go to Port Macquarie for diesel and go for a shower at Moorland’s, or go up to Ballina or Kempsey.”
Cook took to TikTok to share what happened to him last week, and the video has already racked up over 14,000 page views.
Popular social media star Aaron Farquhar, otherwise known as “Aaron, the Typical Trucker”, also shared his frustration at what happened to his friend.
“I think it’s absolutely disgusting and shameful that truck drivers get pushed to the side because someone wants to pay $5 or $10 for a shower,” he said.
“They are putting profit over truckies that are doing all the hard yards, where you’ve got caravanners and people that are just hanging around, they’ve got all the time in the world!
“Truck drivers carry Australia, and we don’t get paid for parking up, we get paid by the kilometre.
“All truck drivers are asking for is a nice hot shower at the end of the day.”
A BP spokesperson said: “We are sorry to hear of this driver’s recent experience at bp Nambucca. At bp, we’re committed to providing truck drivers with comfortable and convenient facilities across our network of truck-friendly sites.
“We’re working closely with the team at bp Nambucca to address this issue and prevent it from re-occurring.”
Dear BP Nambucca Management,
Your treatment of truck drivers, as described in Scott Cook’s recent experience, is not just disappointing—it is an outright disgrace. The blatant disregard shown to the very people who ensure your business continues to operate is both insulting and short-sighted.
Truck drivers, like Mr. Cook, spend their days and nights tirelessly moving the goods that keep your shelves stocked and your pumps running. Without them, your business would grind to a halt. Yet, you prioritize caravanners—individuals who have a myriad of other options for showers—over the truck drivers who spend thousands of dollars at your establishment, not just for themselves but for the industry that keeps Australia moving.
The fact that Mr. Cook, after spending $1400 on fuel at your location, was told he and his colleagues would have to wait because caravanners “paid for showers” is appalling. This decision to prioritize a paltry $5 or $10 over the loyalty and well-being of your most critical customers shows an alarming lack of judgment and respect.
Your general manager’s dismissive response of “tough titties” is even more shocking. This level of unprofessionalism not only highlights your staff’s lack of customer service skills but also reflects a deeper culture of indifference toward those who rely on your facilities as a necessity, not a luxury.
Truck drivers are not looking for handouts—they are asking for the most basic level of respect and accommodation to do their jobs safely and efficiently. The suggestion that a caravanner’s leisurely $5 contribution is more valuable than a truck driver’s thousands spent in fuel and food is absurd and insulting.
This disgraceful incident has not only alienated Mr. Cook but also countless other truck drivers who now see BP Nambucca as a place where they are unwelcome and undervalued. The social media backlash you’re experiencing is just the beginning. Word spreads fast in the trucking community, and the consequences of your choices will undoubtedly hurt your bottom line.
If your management doesn’t immediately address this glaring failure—by implementing a truck-driver-first policy, increasing facilities, and training your staff on how to treat essential workers with respect—you will continue to lose the trust and business of the people who keep your doors open.
This isn’t just about showers—it’s about valuing the people who make your existence possible. Shame on you for failing to do so.
Sincerely,
Shane Boese
A Furious Advocate for Truck Drivers
So true 👍 👌 😢
How to win friends and influence people (truck drivers) by treating them with disdain. You can very easily lose your business by upsetting truck drivers.
My wife was a cook and kitchen hand at a roadhouse. Her mother was the morning cook. She was the first to be sacked when the business changed hands because ‘she had no customer service skills’! She had worked at several roadhouse and the truckies loved her. That went up and down the highway and within a few short weeks very few drivers stopped there anymore! That was 15 years ago and it closed down several years ago.
We’ll management of that service station should be sacked because truck driver facilities are for truck drivers hence the name and if they don’t look at that it’s a complete criminal act money grabbing from people when the facilities are free and ment for truck drivers not holiday makers
Typical FUEL Seller No customer service i wont call them service stations because there is No Service
There is an easy way to fix the problem don’t stop there anymore don’t eat there don’t fuel up there see if 5 or 10 bucks. I wonder if staff are using it as a scam to make some money
Terrible behaviour by the BP servo, treating their previous, high spending ($1400 diesel), loyal customers this way. Especially when drivers are on a schedule and also need to manage their break’s etc.
I’ll bet those caravaner’s are too tight to pay $40 a night at a caravan park and also ‘free camp’ almost where they wont too.
Hopefully that BP servo will be feeling it in the hip pocket soon.
The only way to treat this situation is to let every other truck driver you meet know what happened and get our fuel elsewhere, BP Australia should also provide a formal response that clearly states their position on this matter.
ampol halfway creek , truck driver showers
I am a caravanner and would happily wait my turn if a truckie was waiting to use the showers. Unfortunately a large portion of the general public are unaware of the time constraints put on truck drivers but the servo operators do and therefore should be more accommodating. These businesses will find out the hard way that a $5 shower does not compare to a $1400 fuel purchase. Shame on that BP and any other servos that treat our truckies so disrespectfully.
As a caravan owner that is xxxxxxx ridiculous and wrong way around bp deserve to be shot