From Monday, the state’s new fatigue laws would have required all drivers to record their driving hours and rest breaks, even those delivering to businesses in town or transporting stock between farms.

NSW Minister for Roads Michael Daley put the 12-month freeze on logbook requirements for heavy truck drivers travelling within 160km of their home base.

Tingha farmer Tom Smith (pictured right) said the change would benefit all of those people in the industry only doing small trips.

“At harvest time it will be especially beneficial because the extra time that would have been spent to fill out the diaries won’t be there now,” Mr Smith said.

“It makes it more flexible and it was just going to be beyond a joke if every time you drove from one area to the next you had to write it down.

“There will be no hassles now if you want to drive into town for a delivery.”

Mr Smith, who is also a member of the NSW Farmer’s Executive Council, said the new requirements were still unfair for larger truck companies and drivers.

“There was supposed to be compliance across the country but each state still has a different law or regulation,” he said.

“It is putting extra costs and confusion on drivers and this needs to be fixed.”

Inverell Freighters owner Kerry Brown said he was pleased that his local drivers wouldn’t have the imposition of filling out work diaries.

“Filling in a form eight to 10 times a day would have come at a cost to business so at least we won’t have to worry about that for at least 12 months,” Mr Brown said.

“But there have been a lot of truck drivers across the state who aren’t happy with the new laws imposed on them and many resigned on Friday.

“A lot of them have just decided not to put up with being subject to exorbitant fines and regulations.”

Mr Brown said the new regulations were going to be a nuisance.

“We have three months to change over to the new log books but in Victoria they only have 14 days, so our drivers will face a new set of regulations when they cross the border,” he said.

“This is where it becomes ridiculous.”