Aussie truckies share urgent warning industry faces wipeout - and it will make life worse for EVERYONE

By MATT JONES, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 02:01, 15 April 2026 | Updated: 02:01, 15 April 2026 Australian truck drivers say they won't survive the next six months if the current fuel crisis continues, and for some, their petrol bills have more than doubled.  A recent Fuel Crisis Survey from the National Road Transport Association (NatRoad) of 182 truck drivers revealed an eye-watering 70 per cent of feared they would not last the next six months if 'current conditions persist'.  That figure worsens (78.1 per cent) for owner-operators with one or two trucks and small operators with fewer than 10 trucks are facing immediate closure.  More than a quarter of truck operators said they had already stood down staff following a reduction in work from 10 to 50 per cent.  Oil prices have skyrocketed since the Middle East conflict began on February 28. The war has resulted in the closure of the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane, which is responsible for the transportation of 20 per cent of the world's oil supply. Before the war, crude oil prices were trading around US$65 a barrel but have now risen as high as US$120 a barrel. NatRoad CEO Warren Clark said a $1billion assistance package was taking too long to deliver relief to operators already stretched to breaking point. NatRoad CEO Warren Clark (pictured) said a $1billion assistance package from the federal government was taking too long to flow through The war in the Middle East is having a dramatic effect on fuel prices which are impacting the trucking industry across Australia (pictured, a petrol station in Canberra) 'Cash flow is the issue. With the increase of fuel, operators' lines of credit and their fuel accounts can't cover the cost,' Mr Clark told the Courier Mail.  'The government made a promise to operators on April 2.  'More than ten days later, all we have is a holding website asking people to register for updates. That is not good enough.' Mr Clark said April 21 will be D-day for many operators who need to pay fuel bills. 'If they cannot afford to put fuel in their trucks next month, the consequences will be felt right across the supply chain,' Mr Clark said. When supply chains stop moving forward, the result is a ripple effect of disruption that impacts businesses, economies, and consumers. Increased logistics expenses and higher energy costs will further impact inflation, with economists expecting fuel costs to lift inflation in coming months. Aussies were quick to share their thoughts on the 'national emergency'.  Many trucking companies face a nervous month as fuel costs go through the roof (pictured, transport on the Monash Freeway in Melbourne) 'Should the Australian trucking industry fail, Australia will fail. Without trucking and transport, nothing moves and nothing happens,' one person said.  '(I'm) definitely not alarmist. (I've spent) 45 years in road transport/express freight and the industry is in a world of pain. The current fuel crisis is going to be the death knell for many. Seriously worrying times,' another said.  Queensland operator Jason Tuttle said his monthly fuel bill has jumped from $40,000 to $90,000, forcing him to cut down from four trucks to three.  'Certainly we wouldn't last six months. I don't think anyone will,' he said. The Daily Mail contacted Mr Clark for further comment. Meanwhile, Qantas has announced it will raise fares, reduce its domestic capacity and reshape its international flight network following a spike in global oil prices.  The airline and its budget arm Jetstar have scrapped five routes, with more likely to follow, - a move one state premier labelled 'opportunistic'.  The massive increase in overheads will mean a 5 per cent reduction in domestic services across Qantas and Jetstar in May and June.  The majority of those cuts will be between major cities. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.