By Shelby Brooks
A Covid-19 testing site has been set up in Longwarry to help freight drivers adhere to new testing requirements.
Located at the eastbound Longwarry Rest Area on the Princes Highway, the clinic opened July 31 and operates between 4pm-4am daily.
The opening comes in line with new control measures, including regular Covid-19 testing, that were introduced for the Road and Rail Freight Industry after the NSW outbreak to limit the spread of the disease, a Department of Transport spokesperson said.
“The new testing sites will help to keep freight moving and enable compliance with the Specified Worker Permit,” they said.
Drivers based in Victoria who travel interstate to deliver freight are now required to be tested at least once every three days and must obtain various permits to enter each state.
As authorised and essential workers, the freight industry is operating on Specified Worker (Low Workplace Interaction) Permits that allow for multiple entries into Victoria during a 14-day period, after which a new permit must be issued.
Jackie and Gary Abrehart of Abrehart Transport based in Pakenham said having the new clinic in Longwarry was fantastic.
“A lot of freight goes to NSW via Gippsland,” Gary said.
“It’s a good place to put it.
“It’s easy for us if one of our drivers comes back from a job and it’s not too far to go to get a test.”
Two COVID testing stations have been set up on the Hume Freeway route from Victoria to NSW.
These testing sites have limited capacity and complement freight friendly testing sites established in NSW.
Jackie explained the problems with using normal testing clinics.
“[Truck drivers] can’t use the normal test centres, there’s nowhere to park a truck and the delays can be too big,” Jackie said.
“If you use them, you have to self-isolate but our guys aren’t getting tested because they have symptoms, just that they go interstate a lot,” Gary added.
Jackie and Gary said they didn’t mind the harsher rules placed on drivers, who were already following strict rules like keeping contact lists, not exchanging paper or pens, keeping Covid plans and holding employee authority letters.
“I said to our drivers, we are privileged to be able to travel so we have to take responsibility to prevent the spread of Covid,” Jackie said.
“I don’t mind the new rules, makes sense to me.
“It would be easy for a truck driver to pick it up and not know.”
