Cash defends truckies pay delay

Employment Minister Michaelia Cash says she's been inundated with calls from grown men in tears worried about a new minimum wage for truckies.

The federal government wants to delay mandatory pay rates for owner truck drivers until January 1, 2017 amid concerns it make small operators uncompetitive.

"There are people out there who phone my office - grown men in tears - begging us to do something," she told ABC radio on Tuesday.

Senator Cash has received hundreds of emails and phone calls from concerned owner operators, who she says will be priced out of the market and forced into unionisation.

"We now face tens of thousands of hard working Australians ... either having their trucks repossessed or (having to) get rid of them because of this pay order."

The Transport Workers Union argues the new pay system helps deal with driver deaths and unsafe contracts.

But Senator Cash says paying drivers more won't lead to safer roads.

Legislation pushing back the start date of the pay rates will be introduced on April 18.

But it will not be linked to draft laws cracking down on union corruption due to be debated in the Senate.