Road explosion no reason to change truck regulations, says trucking body
Four firefighters were injured in the explosion. (QPS Media)
A major trucking body has said no changes to freight regulations are required after a shocking explosion injured eight people on an outback Queensland highway.
A truck carrying ammonium nitrate rolled between Cunnamulla and Charleville rolled and exploded on Friday, destroying part of the Mitchell Highway and two bridges.
Ammonium nitrate is strictly regulated by the Department of Natural Resources and Mines but it is permitted for transportation by truck.
Queensland Trucking Association Peter Garske said the tough controls already in place for transporting explosives don't need to be updated in the wake of the blast, the Brisbane Times has reported.
"It is highly regulated in terms of the routes they can carry, in terms of the standards of training and accreditation that the drivers must have and it is highly regulated in terms of the standards of the vehicles they must use," he said.
He said using rail lines would be too inefficient for useful transport of explosives, and it would cost too much to make trains a viable freight alternative to trucks.
Queensland's Transport Minister Scott Emerson said the department will investigate the incident, but that there would "always be a role for the trucking industry in moving freight around Queensland".
The government's own Moving Freight strategy recommends increasing the amount of cargo moved by rail.
The 33-year-old truck driver remains in a critical condition after the explosion.
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