Both veterans of the trucking industry, they have spent countless hours with their foot to the floor transporting goods between Brisbane and Melbourne.

And while both men share a passion for their industry, they also share a belief about the speed limit allowed on the Newell.

On Thursday, the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) announced the speed limit on the road would be reduced from 110km/h to 100km/h.

Their reasoning for the change was documentation it alleged proved that the road’s death toll would drop.

But both men are cynical about the idea, with Mr Hannifey claiming the RTA has ignored the wishes of the road’s users.

“I went to the first roundtable meeting on the issue,” he said.

“I think there has been overwhelming opinion the speed didn’t need to be changed.

“The RTA says it will reduce the road toll but all it will do is force drivers to take more risks when overtaking.”

Mr Morris, who now represents the Australian Road Train Association, believes money needs to be poured into funding passing lanes and rest areas on the highway.

He said the money spent on changing road signs and other spending would be better spent creating these facilities.

“Cutting back to 100km/h will add 10 per cent to people’s driving times and when things are longer it adds to frustration,” he said.

“It also means that other motorists will struggle to overtake trucks and other slow-moving vehicles unless they break the law to do so.

“We were supposed to be consulted about any decision that was going to be made and that didn’t happen.”

ben.walker@ruralpress. com