Nearly a third of young survey respondents admitted to having a close call with a heavy vehicle… proving yes, there’s still a truck tonne of education needed for driving around tonnes of truck.
As a new driver, much of the learning experience focuses on cars – how to start them, park them, and interact with others on the road.
At the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR), we must continually interrogate whether Learner (L) and Provisional (P) license holders know enough about what it means to share the road with heavy vehicles.
Unfortunately, our latest pre-campaign research tells us more education is still necessary.
More than 50 per cent of young people reported having experienced nervousness when sharing the road with trucks, with lack of experience playing a role.
Every truck driver is acutely aware of how much space, patience and respect is needed from light vehicle drivers.
For L and P platers, there is no ‘copy and paste’ or the exact same skillset that applies to driving around other cars.
The NHVR has an important role to play in educating young motorists and helping to develop long-term and robust driving behaviours.
A significant part of this work comes from our ongoing safety campaign, Don’t #uck With A Truck.
Since its initial launch in 2022, the campaign has helped young drivers understand how trucks differ to cars and what they must do to share the road with them safely.
Importantly, the campaign continues to be delivered in a way that captures a younger audience’s attention and resonates with them.
The newest phase of Don’t #uck With A Truck is set to launch in late June, with education focused on two key areas.
Part of the campaign will target nervous drivers, with the content designed to empower audiences with a greater understanding and confidence of what to do on the road.
Additionally, there is an education piece aimed at overconfident drivers; with videos relaying important driving tips to young motorists who may overestimate their knowledge and competency.
With an upcoming campaign launch on the Gold Coast and partnerships with influential content creators, the new phase of Don’t #uck With A Truck will endeavour to equip young drivers with safer skills on the road.
This is critical, given our pre-campaign research revealed some of the driving behaviours with the biggest needs for improvement.
Of the drivers aged 16 to 24 who were surveyed, far too many admitted to sitting in a truck’s blind spot (51 per cent) for too long, following a truck too closely (51 per cent) or overtaking a turning truck (36 per cent).
Australia’s heavy vehicle industry is critical, and truck drivers deserve to feel respected on the road.
Our campaigns, events, social media and other avenues to speak to young drivers and the community are essential to creating safer road networks.
Every heavy vehicle incident is avoidable, and improving how motorists interact with trucks is one of the most powerful ways we can enhance safety outcomes.
Don’t #uck With A Truck reflects the NHVR’s commitment to developing education for young drivers and placing the knowledge and tools in their hands to help them make smarter decisions behind the wheel.
By helping young drivers understand the realities of heavy vehicles, we can close the knowledge gap that exists today and build safer behaviours for tomorrow.
Because when new drivers understand how to share the road with trucks, everyone is safer.
- Michelle Tayler is the Executive Director of Corporate Affairs at NHVR