Heavy vehicle road safety
Due to their weight and size, crashes involving heavy vehicles can have serious consequences. Trucks and other heavy vehicles can take a lot longer to stop and so you need to give them space. Trucks can also have bigger blind spots than an average car, so truck drivers may not be able to see you. For everyone’s safety, be cautious when driving next to, or behind a truck. For more information, visit the Centre for Road Safety.
Heavy vehicle safety - What we are doing
Transport for NSW works with the freight and heavy vehicle industry and other government agencies to improve road safety outcomes for all road users. This work includes:
- Supporting the introduction of lifesaving vehicle technologies such as: front, side and rear underrun, improved direct and indirect vision, blind spot monitoring, lane keep assist, more advanced autonomous emergency braking, and intelligent speed assistance
- Enhancing the procurement of safer fleet vehicles and introducing minimum heavy vehicle safety requirements and technologies in government procurement contracts
- Delivering a new heavy vehicle safety strategy to improve safety of freight operations across NSW
- Supporting the Construction Logistics and Community Safety – Australia (CLOCS-A) program
- Further strengthen road safety information and campaigns to educate all road users on how to keep safe around trucks.
For more information, visit https://towardszero.nsw.gov.au/roadsafetyplan
Road crash analysis - high risk factors
For the most recent information on NSW heavy vehicle fatal crashes, please see the weekly report NSW heavy truck fatal crashes – as at 14 May 2023.
For more information on crash statistics, please visit Statistics - NSW Centre for Road Safety.
Information for heavy vehicle drivers and operators
Due to their weight and size, truck drivers face many unique challenges.
Our safety tips for heavy vehicle drivers explain how speeding, fatigue, non-use of seatbelts and dangerous loads can lead to crashes, with heavy vehicle drivers and other road users seriously injured or killed.
Related links
The 2026 Road Safety Action Plan features targeted proven initiatives that address the types of crashes on NSW roads.
The Be Truck Aware webpage provides information on staying safe around trucks.
The Heavy vehicles webpage provides information for truck drivers and operators on how to keep safe on the road.
Provides a wide range of heavy vehicle crash avoidance and harm minimising technologies.
Provides research and evaluation reports continues to support safety improvements on NSW roads.
The Safety tips for heavy vehicle drivers webpage provides safety tips for truck drivers and operators on how to keep safe on the road.
Enables you to examine your business practices and systems controls against known risks and recognised best practice.
SafeWork NSW has developed resources that provide practical advice, making it easy to manage safety in your workplace.
Transport has trialled the effectiveness of Fresnel lenses and has made a number available for free.
Safety related videos
This page features videos on heavy vehicle-related safety. These messages are for the benefit of all road users.