SOUTH West roads are back at the top of the hazardous and expensive headaches list for truck drivers, with potholed surfaces and overhanging limbs forcing operators away from roads specifically designated for heavy transport.

The Woolsthorpe/Heywood Road - a major livestock and log truck route that is gazetted for b-double and road train use – is among the lengthy list of trouble spots, with locals and truck drivers saying it is nowhere near up to standard, with low hanging limbs, numerous potholes with lengthy sections single-carriage only.

A Heywood driver – who did not want to be named - said he was “sick and tired” of VicRoads ignoring overhead trees on the road that had caused significant damage to his livestock carriers, claiming that low hanging limbs, particularly from black wattles, had knocked the exhaust stack off one of his trucks, causing hundreds of dollars worth of damage and rendering his vehicle unroadworthy.

Under Heavy Vehicle National Law, Victoria, the Class 3 Livestock Carrier Mass and Dimension notice with VicRoads states a vehicle must not exceed 4.6 metres in height, by construction.

“These limbs hang lower than the maximum height allowed for a transport, which is why the vegetation is continually causing damage to truck mirrors, exhausts and stock crates,” the Heywood driver said.

The road has been subject to several campaigns over time, with part of the 75-kilometre stretch permanently signposted at 60 km per hour since 2018 and a ‘rough road’ sign in place for 20 years, according to locals.

Jodi Fry lives on the road and said there were often incidents on the stretch and recalled a b-double truck driver coming to her door visibly shaken after having met another oncoming b-double on a single-carriage section.

“Livestock cartage is precarious at the best of times,” she said.

 “He had to suddenly veer to the left and all the sheep on the four-story crate suddenly moved to the left, which lifted the wheels on the right hand side of the truck, off the road.”

Avoiding the Woolsthorpe/Heywood Road has become a full-time occupation for drivers and owners, including Tony Woodall, of AJ & JR Woodall transport company, who said low-hanging limbs were a significant problem across the region.

“I do not even travel along the Woolsthorpe/Heywood Road anymore, for that reason,” he said.

“The limbs are dangerous and damage your truck - that’s if you’ve managed to dodge the potholes.”

Peter Shiells owner/driver of Shiells’ Transport, Woolsthorpe, also avoids the Woolsthorpe/Heywood Road because of potholes and low hanging limbs.

“It’s always been a rough road with a poor surface full of potholes but it’s especially dangerous for double story stock crates on trucks because of the low limbs,” he said. 

Cunneen’s Transport owner/driver, John Cunneen said in roads in the north of the shire were equally hazardous for large transports, with low-hanging limbs causing expensive problems for his trucks.

He said in his experience, Coojar Lane at Coojar was the worst, with Carey’s Rd at Nareen and Portland Lane at Culla, also notorious for gums flowering this time of year, which weighed the limbs down.

“A lot of the roads around here are pretty bad at the moment for low hanging limbs,” Mr Cunneen said.

“They’re always doing damage to the smoke stacks on the trucks and smashing crates - the smoke exhausts on the truck are not cheap to replace.”

When asked about the drivers’ claims and maintenance including clearing over-hanging limbs, Barwon South West Department of Transport Regional Director, Michael Tudball said “the safety of drivers is our number one priority which is why we frequently inspect roads across the state, including Woolsthorpe/Heywood Road”.

 “We encourage all drivers to report hazards to us as soon as possible so we can resolve the issue and make sure all motorists are safe,” Mr Tudball said.

Department of Transport officers are engaged to inspect the 76-kilometre Woolsthorpe/Heywood Road each fortnight to ensure it is clear and safe for all motorists and according to department information, the road was inspected earlier this week (January 19) and on January 5.

When there are areas that have been identified as needing maintenance, work crews are deployed to rectify the situation and make the road safe for all drivers - in some more complex cases, contractors are hired to complete works.

Motorists can report hazards by phoning 13 11 70.

Southern Grampians Shire Council was also contacted in relation to the roads that are under its responsibility.

Southern Grampians Shire’s director of infrastructure, Marg Scanlon said visitors and residents are encouraged to contact Council to report issues with overhanging branches or fallen trees, either through our website or by phoning council’s customer service office directly.

“While we do undertake regular inspections of all our roads, we have a large amount of ground to cover across the shire so encourage community members to let us know if they see an issue that needs our attention,” Ms Scanlon said.

“Our works department regularly receives and attends to maintenance requests on our local roads and roadsides as required, to ensure we maintain the safety of the Southern Grampians community and other road users.”