Truckies battle for toilet pitstop

Aussie truckies are in a fight for a basic human right because they have nowhere to go at one of their regular pitstops when nature calls.

One truckie who doesn't mince his words when it comes to standing up for what he believes in is Wes Walker.

The truckie and disability pensioner has spent the last month staging a protest and petition calling for toilets to be installed at a truck pitstop in Gatton, west of Brisbane.

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"Well can I say it gives me the s----," he told A Current Affair about the lack of toilets, with the truckie even becoming emotional at one point.

"I'll be honest I've teared up a bit … I'm emotional man, this is wrong.

"They are the lifeline of the country."

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Other truckies arrived at the pitstop from far and wide to show their support for the unlikely crusader.

"It doesn't matter if you are a man or a woman but obviously us as females have other needs that men don't have," truck driver Elisa said.

"Everyone needs to go to the toilet every now and then," truckie Mark said.

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"Go anywhere else and people expect in their office, in their workshop, in their warehouse to have a toilet," Tash said.

"Sometimes you just go to go, (when) you've been in the truck for five or so hours," truckie Matt said.

"All I'm doing is supporting the people that keep this country together and until the general public understands, without trucks, you won't even be watching your TV," Mr Walker said.

Queensland's Transport Department spent $18 million building the facility so truckies driving road trains can decouple their loads and head into the city.

Queensland's transport department said the facility was never meant to be a pit stop because the surrounding land is owned by the University of Queensland which says there is a biosecurity risk if toilets are installed here. 

It is worried human waste and litter will impact on its agricultural research programs.

Truckies said they've been told they will be charged if they relieve themselves at the site which is surrounded by security cameras.

Mr Walker said he's already collected thousands of signatures on his petition. The transport department said if truck drivers are caught short, they can visit the BP service station down the highway.

But Mr Walker said no one has checked that's ok with BP and he said it's not a solution because they must make another stop.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Transport and Main Roads Department told A Current Affair: "We do not install toilets at stand-alone decoupling facilities as they can be confused for rest areas".

And the facility "is being monitored, and penalties apply for any waste left at the site".

Full statement Response by a Transport and Main Roads (TMR) spokesperson:

The Gatton Heavy Vehicle Decoupling Facility's (GHVDF) purpose is to provide a safe area for heavy vehicle drivers to reconfigure their combinations to conform to national regulations before continuing their journey.

We do not install toilets at stand-alone decoupling facilities as they can be confused for rest areas.

It is both unsafe and disruptive to the heavy vehicle industry if the public misuses decoupling facilities as rest areas.

In addition to the site not being a designated rest area, it is also subject to a Biosecurity Site Management Plan which does not allow toilets to be installed.

The site is next to land used by the University of Queensland (UQ) for agricultural research purposes.

While designing the facility, we engaged in extensive and lengthy negotiations regarding biosecurity restrictions to protect UQ's agricultural research activities.

UQ had concerns regarding the biosecurity risk of human waste or litter being left at the site, which may impact their agricultural research practices.

The GHVDF is being monitored and penalties apply for any waste that is left at the site.

There are an appropriate number of rest areas on the Warrego Highway for heavy vehicle operators to access facilities.

There is a rest area and commercial truck stop near to the GHVDF which provide facilities that are readily available for truck drivers. 

Eastbound traffic can use the nearby BP service station offering commercial facilities to drivers, which is about three kilometres east of the GHVDF.

The BP service station is a designated truck stop and can accommodate trucks up to B-double (26 metres). 

There should be no trucks larger than a B-double combination on the highway east of the decoupling facility, as they should have reconfigured their combination at the decoupling facility before continuing east.

Westbound traffic can use the Gatton Bypass Rest Area which provides a toilet, sheltered picnic tables and rubbish bins, about 8.5 kilometres west of Gatton.

These facilities have recently been upgraded.

The temporary decoupling facility on the Warrego Highway at Lawes operated for more than 12 months without toilet facilities and no complaints were received.

We are not investigating options to install toilets at the GHVDF as it is not a rest area. It was built to address the industry's need to decouple east of Toowoomba as there are other rest areas nearby that cater to heavy vehicles.