Stawell truck driver Josh Pyke is finding the limited access to food and facilities during the COVID-19 shutdown is making a "flat out" job even harder.
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Mr Pyke carts grain across regional Victoria for Ararat's Molloy Brothers Transport and said truck drivers had struggled to find food and showers.
"Truck stops limited their dining room access leaving truck drivers with nowhere to sit down and eat," he said.
"We can't swing our trucks through a KFC drive thru."
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He said truck drivers also couldn't access facilities for basic hygiene including restrooms, showers and sinks.
"Showers are also a big fatigue fighter, if a truck driver is feeling a bit sluggish it helps wake them up," he said.
Last Thursday, major freight rail operator Pacific National banned truck drivers from its toilets, change rooms and kitchens.
Australian Trucking Association CEO Ben Maguire said that truck drivers needed and deserved to have access to clean facilities.
"The truck drivers arriving at Pacific National terminals may have been on the road for hours. They have forgotten that drivers are human beings," he said.
Mr Pyke said he has been "flat out" due to farmers stockpiling in the face of COVID-19.
"Everyone is trying to get as much stock as possible in case it gets to the stage where everything closes," he said.
Many truck drivers however are concerned about the risk of being exposed to the virus while travelling between towns.
"It is sort of worrying because you go to a servo in Geelong or Melbourne and you don't know who has been there," Mr Pyke said.
"I have hand sanitiser and baby wipes in my truck at all times."
He said truck drivers were finally receiving the appreciation they deserved from the government and general public.
"I think people have started to realise that they can't get their groceries without truck drivers," he said.
"We were definitely under-appreciated before."
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