Heavy Vehicle Rest Stopping Improvements

As a priority of the NSW Government, Transport is working to improve the quantity and quality of heavy vehicle rest stops in NSW in collaboration with the road freight industry.

^{Aerial view of trucks parked at Partridge VC Heavy Vehicle Rest Area, Menangle.}

Latest news

March 2025 – Work starts on Kamilaroi Highway rest area improvements

Early work has started on a western NSW rest area upgrade project which will boost road safety and provide improved amenities for motorists and heavy vehicle drivers.

The current Yambie Lagoon Truck Parking Bay on the eastbound side of the Kamilaroi Highway about 60 kilometres east of Brewarrina is being upgraded and a new rest area will be built on the opposite side of the road.

The upgrade to the existing rest area will include installing toilet and shade facilities, bins, picnic tables and extending the parking capacity for both light and heavy vehicles.

A new, similar rest area will also be built directly opposite the current facility, so rest area access is available to motorists travelling in both directions on this section of highway.

For more information, please refer to the media release.

Objectives

The objectives of work under way are to:

assist heavy vehicle drivers using the state road network to comply with national fatigue-management regulations to ensure the safety of themselves and all road users
reduce the incidence and severity of crashes involving heavy vehicles and/or fatigue on NSW roads
enable the introduction of safer, more efficient higher productivity road freight vehicles to a wider section of the state road network
improve freight industry customer satisfaction with the availability and quality of rest areas in NSW
improve heavy vehicle driver wellbeing through provision of quality amenities to support them carry out their role
contribute to regional economic prosperity through improved regional freight access.

The importance of rest areas for fatigue management

Heavy vehicle drivers often undertake long hours of travel. The truck, the road and accessible rest areas are their workplace. Fatigue is one of the top three behavioural factors for heavy trucks involved in serious crashes on NSW roads.

From 2014 to 2023*, there were 39 fatigued heavy truck drivers involved in fatal crashes and 217 fatigued heavy truck drivers involved in serious injury crashes.

In these fatal and serious injury crashes from 2014 to 2023, 32 fatigued heavy truck drivers were killed and 201 fatigued heavy truck drivers were seriously injured.

In addition to complying with regulation relating to driving hours and mandatory rest breaks, truck drivers need rest stops to manage fatigue and personal welfare. Truck drivers use these facilities to rest and access essential services such as toilets, showers and food.

There are over 1,372** heavy vehicle rest stop locations across NSW which are either classified as formal or informal and are managed by different road managers. These sites are often the only opportunity for truck drivers to stop and rest due to access restrictions on heavy vehicles entering the NSW road network.

Heavy vehicle crash statistics are available on the Centre for Road Safety website.

^{* Crash data from Transport for NSW Safe System Analytics (SSA) reporting system.}
^{** Figures based on Transport for NSW regional NSW and Greater Sydney heavy vehicle rest stop audits against the Austroads guidelines.}

NSW Rest Area map

Plan rest stops along your journey

Visit the online Rest Areas Map to locate heavy vehicle rest areas and plan your breaks across NSW.

View Rest Area Map

Freight industry engagement

Transport is working in consultation with the freight industry and heavy vehicle drivers to improve heavy vehicle rest areas in NSW.

Formal engagement with the road freight industry has highlighted a range of challenges and needs on the current state of the provision of rest stops for heavy vehicle drivers in NSW including:

capacity issues at existing rest stops
lack of access to or provision of basic amenities and maintenance quality
design of rest stops need to be fit for purpose to meet industry needs
more heavy vehicle rest stops are required
changing industry practices including the uptake of higher productivity vehicles, decoupling and shuttling.

For more information on industry consultation and resulting feedback, please review the engagement reports below:

Heavy Vehicle Rest Stop improvement projects

HVRS Improvement Program for Regional NSW

Transport is developing a Heavy Vehicle Rest Stop Improvement Program Strategic Business Case to improve the heavy vehicle rest stopping across the regional State Road Network.

The program is informed by an audit of existing formal heavy vehicle rest stops against the Austroads Guidelines for the Provision of Heavy Vehicle Rest Area Facilities. The results of the audit identified:

486 potential new rest stops
356 potential upgrades to existing rest stops.

The Strategic Business Case will support funding requests to develop a program of priority heavy vehicle rest area locations in regional NSW incorporating industry feedback received during the engagement period.

The program is included on the Infrastructure Priority List

Heavy Vehicle Rest Area Minor Works Program

Transport is delivering minor upgrades and signage improvements at existing rest areas across regional and outer metropolitan NSW to improve facilities using feedback provided by the road freight industry.

Rest area upgrades are underway at:

Kyeamba Gap Rest Area, Hume Highway
Yambie Lagoon Truck Parking Bay, Kamilaroi Highway

Improvements to heavy vehicle rest areas have been delivered at:

Golden Highway:
- Cassillis Park
- Westwood
- Willy Wally
Pacific Highway:
- Bundjalung
- Chapmans (northbound and southbound)
- Kennedys Gap
Princes Highway:
- Broulee
- Waldron Swamp
Silver City Highway:
- Curlwaa
- Seven Trees
Sturt Highway:
- Berry Jerry
Newell Highway:
- Beckom
- Bundure
- Marthaguy
- Marsden (northbound and southbound)
- North Star
- Tookey Creek

Various signage upgrades in both West and South Regions.

Green Reflector sites

Transport for NSW recognises the importance of green reflector sites as a part of providing heavy vehicle rest stopping opportunities in NSW.

A green reflector site serves as an informal heavy vehicle rest area, marked by green reflectors placed on guideposts.

Green reflectors are used as a simple, cost-effective way of assisting drivers to easily identify an appropriate informal heavy vehicle rest stopping opportunity. The reflector system is particularly beneficial at night.

View the video to learn more about green reflector sites in NSW.

In order for a green reflector site to be marked it must meet standards for size, sight distance, surface quality, access, environmental factors and surrounding site conditions.

In December 2024, Transport for NSW marked 14 new green reflector sites to increase the number of identifiable safe rest stop options for heavy vehicle drivers and improve road safety in NSW.

Transport is exploring opportunities to identify and mark additional new green reflector sites across NSW. Industry feedback is guiding this work.

For more information about green reflector sites please read the factsheet (PDF, 340.42 KB).

Western Sydney Heavy Vehicle Rest Area

The Australian and NSW Governments have each committed $40 million as a first step towards establishing a purpose-built heavy vehicle rest area in Western Sydney to provide drivers a safe and accessible area to rest and mange fatigue as part of their journey.

A six hectare greenfield site at Eastern Creek, owned by the NSW Government, has been identified for the rest area. The land is located five minutes from the M7 and ten minutes from the M4 and will be of particular benefit to drivers hauling freight through Sydney between Victoria and Queensland.

Based on driver feedback and industry consultation, the rest area will look to provide flushing toilets, clean drinking water, showers, ample parking, and shaded areas. The new rest area will provide ample space for a range of heavy vehicles, including oversize overmass and give drivers a safe and accessible area to rest and mange fatigue as part of their journey.

As with all Transport for NSW proposals and potential developments, the Western Sydney Heavy Vehicle Rest Area is subject to a rigorous business case assessment process and allocation of funding at each stage.

Industry engagement

Transport for NSW engaged with the road freight industry between September and October 2023 to inform the early scoping of a new heavy vehicle rest area between Wyong and Pheasants Nest.

The Western Sydney Heavy Vehicle Rest Area Engagement Report (PDF, 1.49 MB) provides a summary of the engagement and resulting feedback from more than 800 heavy vehicle drivers. The report provides an overview of the needs and preferences of heavy vehicle drivers on location, size and facilities and is being used to inform planning for the new rest area.

Barton Highway rest area replacement, Murrumbateman

Transport is progressively upgrading the Barton Highway to a dual carriageway between the ACT border and Murrumbateman.

Existing northbound heavy vehicle parking area at the ACT border and Wattle Flat have been removed to enable work to progress. Stage 2 proposes to replace both northbound sites with a single formal heavy vehicle rest area. Stage 2 is in development with construction expected to start in 2025.

For more information, please visit the Barton Highway Corridor Upgrade – Stage 2 project page.

New formal rest area north of Narrabri, Newell Highway

Construction is underway on the delivery of a new formal rest area approximately 12 kilometres north of Narrabri on the Newell Highway. The rest area will be the largest of its kind in north-western NSW and will feature parking for 18 heavy vehicles up to 48.5 metres long, separate parking for 10 light vehicles and multiple caravans. It will also include toilets, lighting, picnic shelters, landscaping and rubbish bins. The rest area is expected to be completed by early 2026.

This project will be delivered as part of the $261 million Newell Highway Heavy Duty Pavement Upgrades project which is jointly funded by the Australian and NSW governments.

For more information, please visit the Newell Highway: Heavy Duty Pavement Upgrade – Narrabri to Moree project page.

Highway Service Centre partnerships

Transport has entered commercial partnerships with industry to develop highway service centres on land owned by Transport.

As part of the contractual agreement, the proponent must fulfil service requirements including a minimum number of heavy vehicle parking bays and shower and toilet amenities at the highway service centre.

Pheasants Nest Highway Service Centre, Hume Highway upgrade - completed 2023

Completed in December 2023 the upgrade features separate parking for light and heavy vehicles including OSOM parking, separate caravan and bus parking areas, a VC Memorial dedication area, updates to retail options and a ‘truckers lounge’ with toilet, laundry and shower facilities.

Development and delivery of significant upgrades are currently underway at the following Highway Service Centre(s):

Eastern Creek Highway Service Centre, M4 Motorway - under construction

The upgrade to the eastbound and westbound highway service centres on the M4 at Easter Creek will provide parking for a total of 44 heavy vehicles. Each site will have a dedicated ‘truckers lounge’ with toilet, laundry and shower facilities, healthy food options, separate fuelling stations for light and heavy vehicles and onsite security.

Construction started in April 2024 and is anticipated to be complete in 2026.