Road trains authorised to carry extra 10 tonnes of petrol, diesel and fertiliser to send more fuel to regions

Road trains will soon be authorised to carry an extra 10 tonnes of petrol, diesel and fertiliser in a bid to distribute more fuel to regional WA that is bearing the brunt of shortages triggered by the conflict in the Middle East. From Monday, 27.5m and 36.5m road trains will be permitted to transport heavier fuel loads to priority regional areas — including the Goldfields, South West, Great Southern and Wheatbelt — as part of the Cook Government’s seven-point plan to safeguard fuel supplies. Under the plan, Main Roads will adjust existing permits to remove cap loads, with road safety set to remain a key priority. Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said Main Roads was working with industry stakeholders to establish priority routes, and said authorities were still finalising whether the trucks would need to be escorted. “There will be different decisions made depending on routes, so (Main Roads) are going to be identifying the key routes, and sometimes there’s escorts done through some parts of those existing routes,” she said on Sunday. “There will be a couple of things we’ll be looking at when they actually move and whether they need an escort. “This will be very time-limited, it’s targeted and will be facilitated to make sure it’s safe.” It comes amid mounting tensions in the Middle East, leading to supply chain disruptions through various oil transit points including the Strait of Hormuz. FuelWatch recorded an average of 228.7¢ on Sunday — a 21 per cent increase from its average of 188.8 last Saturday — whilst diesel jumped to an eye-watering 269.7¢ — a 28 per cent surge since last Saturday. Just this week, a York petrol station limited customers to 50 litres of fuel each, while farmers have reported their contracts are only being partially filled and tractors are running dry. Ms Saffioti said the WA Government had been forced to adapt to “ever-changing situations”. “It’s really hard to know what’s going to be happening over the next few weeks,” she said. “But in relation to the supply to the State, we’ve heard that all existing ships and future ships that are coming through are all being guaranteed now. “We’ve gone through COVID, we’ve gone through the East-West rail line being out for a month, and what I find is you have to be nimble — you have to continually with industry and see what you can do to help the community get through these significant external international shortages.”