It's also a world where there is a code of silence: truckies are reluctant to speak out for fear that they will lose their job.

One truckie did agree to speak to the Mercury, but on condition of anonymity.

The driver, a man in his 50s from Wollongong, said there was definitely a fear of blowing the whistle because retribution would be swift.

"Yeah, in a sense," he said.

"I work for a company, it's a pretty good job and I'd hate to jeopardise anything like that. They tend to target people on some occasions."

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He's luckier than most. He drives Monday to Friday and is home with his family most nights.

But he's still aware of how the trucking world works; it's a world of tight deadlines, where time is everything and can see drivers putting their own safety and that of fellow road users at risk by not taking a break.

"I don't muck around; if I'm feeling a bit sleepy, I pull over," he said.

"I'm fortunate in that my boss doesn't mind me pulling over and having a rest on the side of the road. But there are a lot of other bosses who do. They really, really look at their peoples' times and if they have an extra 15 minutes here or 20 minutes there, it's really scrutinised.

"I know drivers who have told me 'oh I can't pull over, they're watching me'. That does impact on their employment - and they do want to stay employed."

He's also seen a boss who insisted drivers falsify their mileage logbooks to lower the distance they'd travelled.

"I used to work for a company where he'd tell his guys to start their logbook when they get to where they've got to load out of," he said.

"They might be going to Wagga and get their first load and come back. That's an employer putting his employees in jeopardy.

"By the time [the driver's] day's finished, in his logbook it says he's done 14 hours, but he's probably done about 18 or 19."

Delivery contracts can often put pressure on drivers with a tight schedule and only allowing a small window of time for a driver to deliver his load. Miss that window because of heavy traffic, weather, an accident or any number of other reasons, and the driver is punished by having to sit and wait - and not get paid for it.

"Yeah, that still happens, but it's diminishing as the pressure's been applied by unions and even government are putting pressure on them. But it still happens. I know guys who have turned up, had a little cat nap and missed their spot and then they're there for another six or eight hours.

"If they're not scheduled for a break, that six to eight hours is something they've got to explain later on. It's something they've got to make up for."

Despite the pressure brought to bear by the unions, the driver said trucking companies will still look to cut costs wherever they can, even if it means placing drivers' safety at risk.

"Even the big companies, if they can't get their own staff to do it, they'll subcontract out stuff,' he said.

"That's what they do, they're starting to sub stuff out so they can bring down the rates, get someone who can do it cheaper. Safety costs money. It always has and if they can get around it, they will."

With the long hours on the road, truckies are at high risk of dying in an accident. It's a situation this driver has been quite close to.

In December last year he'd just picked up a load from a facility down the South Coast and, as he was driving out, he noticed a B-double facing him waiting for its load.

The driver took his load back to Port Kembla and, the next day, went back to pick up another load, coming across the remnants of an accident scene.

"There was an accident at Jaspers Brush [the day before] and it was the truck that was facing out looking at me. He had a head-on with a P-plater at Jaspers Brush. They both lost their lives in that accident," he said.

"This guy would have been three minutes behind me. It's just the luck of the draw."