Staying safe at a breakdown
General roadside safety for heavy vehicle drivers who have broken down. Get off the road, be seen, stay away from traffic, then call us.
Updated
A broken-down heavy vehicle is a hazard for you and for everyone passing. This is general advice that applies to most breakdowns. It is not legal advice: always follow the road rules where you are, your company’s procedures and directions from police or road authorities.
If anyone is injured, there is a fire, or the vehicle is blocking a lane in a way that endangers traffic, call emergency services first: 000 in Australia, 111 in New Zealand. Then call us.
Get off the road
- If the vehicle can still move, get it as far off the road as you safely can: a shoulder, rest area, wide verge or exit ramp. Avoid stopping on bends, crests, bridges, in tunnels or where the shoulder is narrow.
- Avoid soft or steep verges that may not hold the weight.
- Stop on firm, level ground if you have the choice, and apply the park brake.
Be seen
- Turn on your hazard lights straight away. At night or in poor visibility, keep clearance lights on too.
- Put on high-visibility clothing before you get out.
- Use your warning triangles. In Australia, heavy vehicles over 12 tonnes GVM must carry three warning triangles, and the road rules set where to place them when the vehicle is stopped, depending on the speed limit and whether the road is divided. The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator publishes the placement rules. In New Zealand, follow NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi guidance.
- Walk to place triangles facing oncoming traffic, staying as far from the traffic lane as you can.
Stay away from traffic
- Get out on the side away from traffic if you can.
- Do not stand between the vehicle and the traffic, and do not stand behind the vehicle.
- Wait in a safe place well away from the road, behind a barrier if there is one, where you can still see the vehicle and be seen by the supplier when they arrive.
- If staying in the cab is safer (for example on a busy road with no safe place to stand), keep your seatbelt on.
Don’t attempt risky repairs
- Don’t work on the traffic side of the vehicle, under it, or on a tyre while the vehicle is unstable.
- Leave tyre changes on heavy vehicles, towing and recovery to the supplier we send, who has the equipment.
Call us
When you are safe, call 1800 349 698 (Australia) or 0800 001 040 (New Zealand). Tell us straight away if the vehicle is in a dangerous spot, so we treat the job as urgent. The driver checklist lists what we will ask.
When help arrives
- Follow the supplier’s directions about where to stand while they work.
- Keep your phone on: we may call to confirm the ETA or details.
- Before you drive off, collect your warning triangles and make sure the supplier has recorded the job as done.