Huge win for Aussie truckies soon to receive a major fuel boost

Published: 01:57, 21 April 2026 | Updated: 01:57, 21 April 2026 Transport workers could receive a boost to the amount they receive to cover fuel costs as the impacts of the Iran war threaten their livelihoods. The Fair Work Commission has ordered companies in the sector to review their rates twice a month to account for the high costs of petrol and diesel. The orders will come into effect from Tuesday and will be in place as long as the weekly average price of diesel is above $2 per litre. The ruling followed a case submitted by the Transport Workers' Union to the workplace watchdog. Secretary Michael Kaine said the decision was historic. '(The order) for the first time, puts obligations on the wealthy clients at the top of our supply chains to pay their fair share to the transport industry,' he said. 'Over the last few weeks drivers and transport businesses have outlined the dire circumstances they are facing with diesel costs, many already having to park up their trucks or rely on personal loans just to keep going.' The decision comes as the owners of the Geelong Viva refinery, which was damaged in a fire on Wednesday night, said the site was expected to return to almost full capacity in the coming weeks. The ruling followed a case submitted by the Transport Workers' Union to the workplace watchdog (Secretary Michael Kaine is pictured) Transport workers could receive a boost to the amount they receive to cover fuel costs as the impacts of the Iran war threaten their livelihoods (pictured, drivers refuel trucks in Sydney) In a statement to the ASX, Viva Energy said capacity was set to ramp up at the facility. 'Over the next few weeks, and subject to plant inspection, the company expects to be in a position to... lift production of diesel, jet fuel and petrol to over 90 per cent of capacity,' the statement said. 'The refinery is then expected to continue production at these levels until repairs are completed.' The refinery was at 60 per cent output for petrol following the fire and at 80 per cent for jet fuel and diesel. Viva has promised a full investigation into the cause of the incident. The company had been in a trading halt following the fire, but selling resumed on Monday morning. Viva shares dropped by as much as 9.5 per cent when it came out of the halt and were sitting at $2.34 by mid-afternoon, down about 7.7 per cent. The Geelong facility is one of only two refineries operating in Australia and provides 10 per cent of the country's fuel supply and 50 per cent of Victoria's. Daily Mail previously took to the streets to ask how the fuel crisis was affecting truck drivers Are big companies doing enough to support struggling truckies facing skyrocketing fuel costs? What's your view?Production had been increased at the refinery following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which placed pressure on global oil supply. Freight and trucking firms from Monday onwards were also able to apply for interest-free loans to help weather the price hikes of doing business. The loans were part of a $1billion economic resilience program package and will apply to businesses that make or transport fuels, fertiliser and agricultural products. The concessions were announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during a speech at the National Press Club earlier in April. Industry Minister Tim Ayres said the loans would provide stability during volatile economic times. 'The billion-dollar facility is there to be used as much as it is required,' he told reporters in Canberra. Loans of up to $5million are available for companies with a turnover of less than $100million. Australian Banking Association chief executive Simon Birmingham said the financial sector would support the rollout of the loans. 'Banks are stepping up to support the rollout of these zero-interest loans to businesses who are doing it tough as a result of the current conflict in the Middle East,' he said. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. 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.