Almost 100 trucks convoyed from Woolgoolga to Coffs Harbour today on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales to raise awareness of the mental health crisis impacting truck drivers across the country.
Lifeline North Coast ambassador and convoy organiser Eno Taylor said he was impressed by how many drivers registered and showed up for the Grinding Gears and Burning Diesel movement.
"You could not ask for a better day. The turnout is absolutely fantastic," he said.
Mr Taylor said the situation for truck divers had deteriorated over the years.
"We are in a bit of a crisis stage with the mental health of truck drivers," he said.
"The statistics aren't really good at the moment."
According to a recent Monash University study, suicide had become the second leading cause of death for truck drivers under the age of 30.
It also found one in five drivers suffered from severe psychological distress, almost double that of Australian men of the same age.
Convoy for change
Mr Taylor organised the first convoy last year in memory of two Coffs Coast truck drivers who took their own lives, including his good friend and colleague Mark Haines, 52, and Tom Seccombe, 29, who ran a transport company KT Haulage.
Mr Seccombe's sister Brooke Seccombe said her brother's death came as a surprise after a lifelong career of doing what he loved.
"He lived and breathed trucks his whole life; that was his passion," she said.
"Nobody expected it to happen but that is why we are here today — to try to get the word out there.
"Even if we could save one person's life, or whatever it is, it's worth it."
Ms Seccombe, who is also a truck driver, said the transport industry could leave many drivers incredibly isolated.
"The transport industry is hard," she said.
"You get drivers driving up to 6,000 kilometres a week in a truck by themselves, so they don't really have anyone to talk to.
"They load and unload, but you are driving all day and all night by yourself — just in your thoughts."
Ms Seccombe was not alone in hoping the convoy was a cause for change.
The mental decline over long-haul work
Mr Taylor said he thought a mixture of factors was contributing to the decline of drivers' mental health, including the loss of camaraderie among colleagues.
"There doesn't seem to be that community spirit [like] there used to be with truck drivers," he said.
"We've got fewer truck stops. Especially between Sydney and Brisbane, it is virtually straight through all the way without stopping.
"A lot of truck drivers are forced to pull over on the side of the road or in a tiny truck stop without proper facilities."
Mr Taylor said there was a lot of pressure and deadlines in addition to travelling away from home.
"That's the reason why I made the decision to come off the road and stop driving line haul because I just wanted to spend more time with my family and have more of a lifestyle," he said.
"It has been a real game changer with my mental health."
Mr Taylor said it was crucial to "fix the scene for truck drivers" who continued to carry out essential work.
"Trucks are our lifeline in Australia, carting food from Melbourne to Brisbane to Perth," he said.
"I think with the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator now taking more of an interest in truck driver health and mental health we might see a few changes over the next few years."
