August is National Traffic Awareness Month, a time dedicated to promoting safer driving habits, increasing public awareness about road safety, and encouraging shared responsibility among all road users. It also serves as a timely reminder that behind every statistic is a life, a family, and a story.
With over 634 lives lost on Australian roads in 2024, the campaign is a call to action for practical, front-line measures that can save lives, especially on the nation’s most remote and heavily used roads.
One initiative answering that call is Truckie First Aid, a free online training course developed by St John Ambulance Australia in partnership with the National Road Transport Association (NatRoad). Since launching in late 2023, the programme has equipped 2,170 truck drivers with essential First Aid skills—preparing them to respond to roadside emergencies, often as the first and only responder before help arrives.
Truck drivers are frequently first on the scene of crashes, particularly on long-distance or regional routes. The Truckie First Aid course, which takes just 30–40 minutes to complete, teaches life-saving interventions based on the DRSABCD First Aid action plan, including CPR, airway management, and controlling severe bleeding. Participants receive a certificate upon completion.
“We want to say thanks to the first thousand participants who have really embraced it.”
“Courses like this allow us to get First Aid knowledge and skills into the hands of our Australian public in a practical way that relates to their daily work and lifestyle,” said Adrian Watts, Chief Operations Officer at St John Ambulance Australia.
Warren Clark, CEO of NatRoad, echoed that sentiment.
“Every day there are thousands of trucks on our roads across the country, including regional and some very remote stretches of road, and truck drivers are often first on the scene of an accident, where every second counts.
This training provides operators with the lifesaving skills and confidence to help in those first critical minutes.”
The real-world value of the training is perhaps best captured by the words of one truck driver who reached out anonymously to share her story after completing the course:
“Exactly 4 weeks after completing the course I had an accident where another vehicle ran into the back of my B Double. At high speed.
It was on a freeway and no other vehicles stopped. Although it was heart stopping wondering what I was about to see when I ran back down the fwy, the scenario I was confronted with was exactly like your training clips. Driver slumped forward with chin on his chest. I just sat him back in his seat with the objective of opening his airways & he just sprung back to life.Job done, apart from comfort[ing] him whilst waiting for the ambulance I did nothing more but I just think it was amazing that only 4 weeks later I remembered & used what was in your free course.
It does sadden me that not one passing car stopped to help me & both lanes of the freeway were blocked with debris, they just navigated round.”
This powerful testimonial underscores how simple, accessible training can translate into meaningful, life-saving action in the moments that matter most.
Earlier this year, Truckie First Aid was also showcased at the 2025 Brisbane Truck Show, held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. With more than 40,000 visitors, the event is the largest transport industry expo in the Southern Hemisphere.
St John Ambulance Australia and NatRoad used the opportunity to engage with professionals across the sector and spotlight the success and future of the Truckie First Aid programme.
That future now includes a significant expansion in accessibility. In an Australian first, St John Ambulance Australia and NatRoad announced the translation of the course into Punjabi and Mandarin, two of the most widely spoken languages in the Australian road transport sector after English.
This development ensures that even more drivers, especially those from linguistically diverse backgrounds can gain life-saving knowledge in a format that is easy to understand and culturally accessible.
The multilingual expansion is made possible through a $4.4 million investment from the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) under its Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative (HVSI), supported by the Australian Government. NatRoad is one of 16 grantees to receive HVSI funding in 2025.
Steve Smith, Acting Executive Director Corporate Affairs at NHVR, said:
“The HVSI grants program funds critical industry-led safety projects aimed at reducing road trauma and saving lives on Australia’s roads.”
Since the course’s launch, participation has grown rapidly. Over 1,800 drivers completed the training in its first year alone, with the latest figures showing that 2,170 have now taken part. Additional language options are expected to launch before the end of 2025, further broadening the course’s reach and reinforcing its relevance in an increasingly diverse industry.
Promotion of the course has been integrated into multiple driver touchpoints. QR codes linking directly to the course have been published in Prime Creative Media transport publications and printed into National Heavy Vehicle Regulator Written Work Diaries, ensuring accessibility for truck drivers across the country.
While St John Ambulance continues to encourage full, accredited First Aid training, Truckie First Aid represents a practical, scalable solution for busy drivers—bringing essential knowledge to those most likely to be first at the scene of an emergency.
The course remains free and open to all truck drivers and can be accessed at truckiefirstaid.org.au.
