'Last ride' for Wagga tanker drivers as Toll closes part of Travers Street depot

Toll's plan to close part of its Travers Street depot has affected about 20 bulk liquids transport drivers and eight administrative workers.

The company has previously said it would try to find other jobs in its network for the workers.

Wagga driver Barry McMahon, aged 59, started his "last ride" for Toll this week after spending 28 years hauling liquids such as vegetable oil, tallow and diesel for the company and its predecessor.

"We've got a finish date of Friday but this week we're just sending the trucks we've been using to Sydney and Melbourne for the people who are taking over our work to pick them up," he said.

Mr McMahon is also a Transport Workers' Union (TWU) member and delegate for the depot and said he concerns for some of the younger drivers who still had mortgages and car loans to pay.

"I know of a couple who have gone on to Ron Finemore [Transport]. It's quite devastating for those who haven't been in the position for too long," he said.

"A couple of blokes probably weren't too far off retiring but the bulk of the blokes probably weren't ready for what happened.

"You don't have any tea leaves for what's going to happen. One minute you're tolling along and doing your tasks and the next minute you get a call from the union saying Toll had notified them they're making people in Wagga redundant."

Toll has multiple operations at multiple sites in Wagga and those part of the business were not affected by the Travers Street liquids transport closure.

The company said in April that it had notified the affected employees about the pending closure.

"The Liquids business currently shares the Travers Road facility with our Global Express division. Following a review of our operations, the decision has been made to exit the GL Liquids business from this site," a Toll spokesperson said.

A Toll spokesperson said in April that these types of decisions were "never easy, especially when they impact employees who have made an important contribution to our business".

The spokesperson also said at the time there was an opportunity to redeploy some staff across other areas of Toll's business.

Mr McMahon said the 20 drivers had spent an average of 17.5 years working for the liquids transport business that started as Finemore Holdings and was bought by Toll Group in 2001.

"Some were there 18 months but others were there 30 years. They had a workforce there that was quite loyal to the job," he said.

"I've got no real plans to retire. I'll just let the dust settle and see what happens. I've been out on the road for 28 years and it's time to rasses whether I really need to be out there," he said.

"Maybe I'll be able to reestablish a relationship with my wife as most of us work on the basis that we go away Sunday night and get back home on Friday night or Saturday morning."

Toll has been contacted for comment about how many employees were able to be employed in the business or took up offers to work for the separate Ron Finemore Transport business, which was newly founded after the 2001 sale in the Riverina.