Every day, children breathe polluted air near Australia’s roads and their developing bodies pay the highest price.

Children breathe 18 to 30 times per minute, compared with 12 to 16 in adolescents. This means their lungs receive higher doses of pollutants that deposit deep in the airways and enter the bloodstream. Exposure to truck emissions during childhood can:

• Affect lung growth and immune function

• Increase risk of asthma and other respiratory illnesses

• Impair cognitive development

In Melbourne’s inner west, 41% of childcare centres and 36% of schools sit within 150 metres of a major truck route. At one childcare centre on a busy freight intersection, pollution levels were equivalent to children inhaling 8.4 cigarettes a day.

Across Australasia, 8.7% of new childhood asthma cases each year are caused by traffic emissions, with heavy vehicles responsible for roughly a quarter of that pollution. One in six schools and childcare centres across Australia’s capital cities are close enough to major roads to raise serious health risks.

Australia’s Truck Fleet: The Problem

Heavy vehicles make up a small fraction of Australia’s fleet but are a major source of air pollution:

• 13% of trucks comply with no emissions standards

• 47% meet standards pre-2011

• Together, they produce roughly 25% of all on-road vehicle pollution

New research from the University of Melbourne, supported by Parents for Climate, shows these emissions have serious health and economic costs:

• Over 2,000 premature deaths per year, each averaging 13 years of life lost.

• $6.2 billion in annual health costs, including heart and lung disease, stroke risk, diabetes, inflammation, and lost productivity (Noting this is a conservative estimate).

Supporting Truck Drivers While Protecting Kids

Truck drivers keep our communities moving, delivering the goods we rely on. But the system they operate in puts children at risk. The government must support the industry, particularly small operators, who make up 92% of trucking businesses to transition to cleaner, safer vehicles.

“We love our village, but I shouldn’t have to worry whether the air my kids breathe at school is making them sick. With truck numbers rising and new infrastructure like the West Gate Tunnel, urgent action to electrify trucks would reduce pollution and protect children’s health.” — Jess Marsh, Yarraville, Victoria

“We get around by foot, bike, and scooter, but constant traffic fumes affect every part of our day. My daughter has frequent coughs, trouble concentrating at school, and has started snoring at night. Living so close to major trucking routes, it feels like we’re letting them down.” — Emily Buckley, Maroubra Junction, Sydney

What Experts Say

The federal government is revising the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) in 2026. Experts and health authorities agree that children’s health must be central to these reforms. They recommend:

• Strengthen emissions standards for heavy vehicles. Include CO₂ and other pollutants in the standards to accelerate the shift towards zero-emission trucks.

• Support truck drivers and small businesses. Small operators make up 92% of the fleet and need help with the upfront costs of switching to electric trucks, as well as reforms to weight and access limits so cleaner, heavier vehicles can operate safely on our roads.

• Protect children and communities immediately. Establish buffer zones between freight corridors and schools, childcare centres, and playgrounds. Fund mitigation in high-risk areas, including green barriers and air filtration systems for schools near major truck routes.

“Our lungs are highly sensitive to the irritative and carcinogenic effects of truck pollution. There are no safe lower limits to these exposures.” - Associate Professor Louis Irving, University of Melbourne

“The cost of mitigating truck emissions is dwarfed by the benefits, healthier children, lower health costs, and stronger communities. Health must be central to heavy vehicle reform.” - Professor Mark Stevenson

National Reach and Momentum

The Truck Pollution Report has already sparked widespread media coverage:

• The Guardian

• ABC TV and radio interviews

• Industry publications: The Driven, OwnerDriver, Australian Truck Radio

• Online engagement: Reddit Australia 

Communities, experts, and policymakers are coming together to demand change and the government has a critical opportunity this year.

Act Now for Our Kids

Parents, MPs, and policymakers have the chance to protect children’s health and secure cleaner air for the next generation.

We’re calling on Catherine King MP, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, to:

• Strengthen emissions standards for heavy vehicles

• Support truck drivers and small operators to transition to zero-emission trucks

• Protect children with buffer zones, green barriers, and air filtration for schools near freight corridors

Show your support today — sign the open letter and help turn research into action:
https://www.parentsforclimate.org/clean_up_truck_pollution

Why Parents for Climate Is Campaigning

Parents for Climate exists to protect children from the health impacts of climate pollution. Diesel-powered trucks are a major source of both climate pollution and toxic air pollution in our communities.

Parents should not have to choose between functioning supply chains and their child’s lungs. We can have both.

Cleaning up Australia’s truck fleet protects children now and reduces climate pollution for the future. That’s why we’re calling for stronger emissions standards, support for small operators to transition, and practical protections for schools and childcare centres near freight routes.