Australian country music singer, James Blundell, has reworked his hit song, "Way out West" to raise awareness of truck safety on the road. Joining forces with the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR), the singer urges drivers to be safe around heavy vehicles.

While Mr Blundell has clocked up "thousands of kilometres" while touring in the last 35 years, he also knows his way around a truck, growing up on a farm and having held his Heavy Vehicle Rigid License since he was 19 years old.

“It’s safe to say I know my way around trucks and heavy machinery. Way out west in regional Queensland, you see hundreds of road trains on the roads," Mr Blundell said. “When a motorist is unaware of their surroundings, or doesn’t know how to share the road, things can go devastatingly wrong. It’s crucial to keep your cool and give truck drivers space.”

Mr Blundell said he has witnessed and experienced his fair share of close calls, both in cities and remote areas. Now running a hemp farm in Queensland's south-west, he urges drivers to be safer around heavy vehicles and said he relates to the new road safety campaign, "We all need space."

“Whether you’re a truckie, car driver or a touring artist like me, we all share the road and we all set out to get to our destination safely,” Mr Blundell said.

Supporting the need for driver education is Tottenham farmer, Geoff Chase, who said awareness campaigns were particularly necessary at harvest time when more trucks were on the road, transporting grain.

"Car drivers often don’t realise that trucks have blind spots," he said. "The 'if you can't see my mirrors, I can't see you campaign' was a good one and I think this one will be too."

Mr Chase said this harvest will be the first time his business will cart grain with a road train, having run single truck trailers previously.

"Very few roads around here have been properly fixed since the flooding," he said. "The shoulders of the roads aren't generally very good. I think there needs to be publicity about wide vehicles such as headers and chaser bins travelling on the roads also. In some ways these are more dangerous as they go slow and car drivers get impatient."

Mr Chase said there are "cowboys" in every industry and sometimes the tailgating is by trucks toward cars.

"Most people do the right thing, but you can’t legislate for fools," he said.

NHVR Executive Director Michelle Tayler said the number of fatal crashes involving a heavy vehicle was significantly higher in regional areas compared to metropolitan areas.

“Across Australia this year, there’s already been 53 fatal crashes involving a heavy vehicle in regional areas, compared to 20 in metropolitan areas,” Ms Tayler said. “These figures clearly tell us that we need to do more to get the message out there across all parts of the country to help save lives on our roads. It’s critical to give trucks the space they need, particularly on long, rural roads.

Ms Tayler said the NHVR was committed to educating road users to be more cautious, with the new Way Out West lyrics sharing a catchy but important message.

“We are always looking for new ways to educate drivers, and so the NHVR is extremely excited to welcome James to the campaign,” she said.

“By combining his farming knowledge and musical talent, James is helping spread the word on heavy vehicle safety – so all road users can make it home to their loved ones.”