Heavy vehicle operators and drivers are being urged to prioritise safety and heed warning signs when navigating long, steep descents on South Australia’s South Eastern (SE) Freeway.
The plea from the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) follows the release of a new safety video first announced on this website in October last year.
The video below was developed in consultation with NTI, South Australian Road Transport Association (SARTA), and input from the National Truck Accident Research Centre, which aims to familiarise heavy vehicle drivers with the road and outlines critical steps.
“A well-functioning braking system is crucial, particularly on long, steep descents like the SE Freeway, which continues downhill through a major intersection and into an urban area,” NHVR Director of Southern Region Paul Simionato said.
“Operators should ensure their vehicles’ braking systems are meticulously maintained and adjust vehicle loads appropriately for this challenging route.”
Simionato said use of the engine brake and a low enough gear appropriate for the load you are carrying, and obeying the maximum 60km/h speed limit (unless otherwise signed at a lower speed) is essential to descend safely – noting most loaded trucks will need to travel much slower than 60km/hr to maintain a safe control.
“We’ve seen far too many incidents resulting from poor driver behaviour, faulty or ineffective braking systems, or a failure to comply with safety requirements,” he said.,
“This not only puts drivers at risk but also endangers other road users and the communities these vehicles travel through.”
It comes amid significant safety upgrades to the SE Freeway, delivered in October 2025 by the South Australian Department of Infrastructure and Transport.
These upgrades include enhanced signage and pavement markings designed to better educate and alert drivers to the route’s unique challenges, prioritising safer heavy vehicle operations, including:
- Mandatory use of low gear for heavy vehicles, with heavy penalties enforced for non-compliance.
- Simplified wording and symbol-driven designs for improved understanding.
- Greater visibility of safety ramp locations and a reminder that their use is free, including vehicle removal.
“The NHVR remains committed to working closely with the heavy vehicle industry and its jurisdictional partners to improve safety on Australian roads,” Simionato said.
“By continuing proactive efforts, the heavy vehicle industry can play a pivotal role in preventing avoidable incidents and making our roads safer for all users.”
SARTA Executive Officer Steve Shearer said almost all of the 700,000 trucks that come down the SE Freeway each year into Adelaide do so safely and legally, and that’s a great credit to the drivers and operators.
“It just takes one driver or operator to get it wrong on any given day and we’ll have another multiple fatality,” he said.
“It’s nearly always a mistake by a driver choosing too high a gear for the load, not slowing down before commencing the descent, not engaging the engine brake or a mechanical failure. All of those causes are avoidable.”
The hill in to Adelaide and all the other hills in Australia, probably should have trainers or long term drivers show others how to come down the hill, and if their Jake’s/exhaust brakes aren’t working properly, they should come down the old Rd it is so much safer, always has been always will be, but not just telling but showing how it’s done, and a empty single fridge van can safely come down there on the speed limit, done it tonnes of times, also used the old Rd cause of intermittent Jake’s, and maybe people should drag some loads up the hill before they come down it.