Council Stops Plan to Limit Road Trains

ABC Tropical North

Topic: Road Transport

Tuesday, 7 July 2026, 10:05 am

Bradley Misfud drives grain to the Port of Mackay, which is nearly 400 kilometers away from his farm near Kilcummin.

In short:

Isaac Regional Council is checking five intersections used by farmers and truck drivers.

The council found that longer trucks may not have enough space to stop safely between rail crossings and intersections.

What's next?

The council will get an independent expert to check the intersections before making any decisions.

A council in North Queensland will not limit road trains on five key roads after farmers complained about the plan.

The council checked over 60% of the roads it manages and found several routes used by big trucks that do not meet safety rules.

Trucks and long coal trains share the same time and money pressures.

Farmers in the area said the changes would add hours to their grain deliveries and increase costs.

The council will now get an independent assessment of the intersections before deciding what to do.

Long trucks, short harvest

Bradley Mifsud grows grain near Mount McLaren and is on the board of a farm group called AgForce.

Bradley Mifsud says he has not seen an accident at these level crossings in 40 years.

He said issues with truck length on routes used by farmers during harvest were a big concern.

Our main concern is that they wanted to shorten the allowed truck length, which is not workable.

In this uncertain time, we need to be able to transport as much grain as we can legally.

To reduce that is a big problem.

In Queensland, road trains are usually trucks with at least two trailers, with lengths between 31.5 and 36.5 meters for Type 1 vehicles, and between 44 and 53.5 meters for Type 2 vehicles.

Road trains can be over 50 meters long.

Isaac intersections to be assessed:

The assessment found that longer trucks did not have enough room to stop safely between some rail crossings and intersections.

Mr. Mifsud said if bigger trucks had to go around the intersections, it would mean longer trips or more trucks and drivers, which are currently in short supply.

We have some farmers who would have to add 2 to 2.5 hours to their round trip.

Truck drivers going to GrainCorp's Mount McLaren depot would also be affected by the changes.

There is not enough skilled labor, transport, or money in the industry to handle that.

Grain from farms is delivered to a site like the one near the intersection of Russell Park Road and Ken Logan Road at Mount McLaren, one of 150 sites operated by GrainCorp.

A spokesperson said it is crucial to maintain access for 53.5-meter road trains for efficient harvest operations and the region's industry competitiveness.

The company has been advocating to keep the current access arrangements before the harvest in September.

Russell Park Road is one of many intersections where trucks may have to wait in line.

No decision made

The council's director of infrastructure services, Jason Devitt, said affected road users would be consulted before any changes are made.

Jason Devitt says landholders have been consulted.

Is there a simple way to make it safer, or are more significant upgrades needed?

We are looking at all options before making any changes.

The council will hold more community meetings in September.

Safety concerns drive review

The council's assessment was possible due to a network mapping system introduced by the NHVR.

The map is part of a national push to replace individual permits with a National Automated Access System.

NHVR director of service delivery Steven Miller said there are 470 state and local government road managers reviewing road safety.

Steven Miller says this process is part of a broader review of state and national roads.

Our role is to take decisions from road managers, update instruments, and assist with industry communication.

Where rail crossings intersect with the heavy vehicle network is a high-risk area.

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