A message to the Australian community

The importance of road freight to the nation

Trucks link businesses with markets and take goods from ports, airports and railway stations to shopping centres. Without trucks, our economy would come to a standstill. On every Australian road, in every city and town, and in the outback, trucks deliver the staples of life. Trucks are the pulse of our nation.

Trucking is especially important in Australia because of its huge land mass. Australia's truck fleet travels 15 million kilometres and transports 2 million tonnes of freight a year.

Safety is a crucial issue to the Australian trucking industry and its professional drivers, who share their workplace with thousands of motorists every day.

There are 30,000 trucking businesses that employ 250,000 people and provide employment for another a quarter million in supporting businesses.

"You are the people who keep this country moving. You are the people who keep our towns and cities connected. You are the people who move goods from the farm gate to the factories, to the shops and the ports. It is not an exaggeration to say that the future prosperity of this country rests squarely on the shoulders of your industry. Because it is your industry that will be called on to meet and service the growth in interstate and international trade. Our international trade alone is scheduled to double by 2030, and triple by 2050."

From an address by the Hon Anthony Albanese MP. Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. Australian Trucking Convention, Canberra 2011