AI Generated Summary
- He recalled an incident at a truck stop in South Australia where a person spat on him while he was speaking Punjabi to his wife on the phone.
- Several drivers told ABC News Australia that discrimination had become a routine part of their working lives, even as the transport industry increasingly relies on migrant workers to address a severe shortage of qualified heavy-vehicle drivers.
- Boparai, who has worked in the transport industry for more than a decade and operates a small fleet of trucks, described the incident as deeply humiliating.
Migrant drivers say racial slurs, intimidation and abuse have become increasingly common in Australia’s freight industry
Indian-origin truck drivers working in Australia have raised concerns over repeated incidents of racial abuse, intimidation and threats, highlighting what they describe as a growing sense of insecurity within the country’s road freight sector.
Several drivers told ABC News Australia that discrimination had become a routine part of their working lives, even as the transport industry increasingly relies on migrant workers to address a severe shortage of qualified heavy-vehicle drivers.
Among those who shared their experiences was Australian citizen and trucking business owner Jaswinder Boparai. He recalled an incident at a truck stop in South Australia where a person spat on him while he was speaking Punjabi to his wife on the phone.
Boparai, who has worked in the transport industry for more than a decade and operates a small fleet of trucks, described the incident as deeply humiliating. He said the level of hostility he now encounters is worse than anything he experienced during his earlier years in the profession.
Other drivers reported being targeted because of their appearance, language and religious identity.
Narinder Singh, who had previously spent about 10 years driving trucks in New Zealand, left the Australian freight industry after only eight months. He said he was subjected to racial insults, ridiculed for wearing a turban and frequently told to leave the country, sometimes following relatively minor mistakes at work.
The harassment is not limited to face-to-face encounters. Driver Pippal Singh said violent anti-Indian messages and threats had been heard over citizens band, or CB, radio channels. These channels are ordinarily used by truck drivers to exchange information about traffic conditions, road hazards and safety risks.
According to the report, the frequency of abusive messages has prompted some migrant drivers to stop using CB radios, potentially cutting them off from an important source of road-safety information.
Racist content targeting South Asian truckers has also reportedly appeared in social media groups used by people in the transport sector. Such posts, including derogatory memes, have contributed to an environment in which migrant drivers say they feel unwelcome and vulnerable.
The concerns come at a time when Australia is struggling to recruit enough drivers for its freight and logistics industry. The International Road Transport Union estimated in 2024 that the country was short of approximately 28,000 heavy-vehicle drivers.
Indian migrants have been among Australia’s fastest-growing communities during the past decade, according to census figures cited in the ABC report. Many have entered trucking and logistics to fill vacancies in a sector facing persistent labour shortages.
For Sikh and Punjabi migrants in particular, truck driving is often a familiar occupation because of family connections with agriculture, machinery, transportation and long-distance trade.
Workplace safety specialists have warned that racism can have consequences beyond emotional distress. Professor Elizabeth Anderson, an expert in occupational safety, said discriminatory treatment could affect a driver’s concentration, judgement and decision-making.
Such risks are particularly serious in heavy-vehicle transport, where drivers already contend with long hours, fatigue, isolation, tight delivery schedules and hazardous road conditions.
Although racial discrimination is prohibited under Australian law, many incidents in the freight industry are believed to go unreported. Drivers may be unable to identify those responsible, particularly when abuse occurs over radio channels or at isolated truck stops.
Language barriers, uncertainty about complaint procedures and a lack of confidence in enforcement systems also discourage some migrant workers from reporting harassment.
The Australian Human Rights Commission said it was aware of racist conduct within the road freight sector. Since July 2023, the commission has received 12 complaints involving people employed in or associated with the trucking industry. Two of the complainants identified themselves as Indian or Sikh.
Experts, however, say the actual scale of the problem may be significantly greater than the number of formal complaints suggests.
They have also pointed to a gap in regulation, noting that no single authority appears to have comprehensive responsibility for addressing racism throughout the freight industry. Workplace regulators, transport authorities, police and human rights bodies may each deal with individual aspects of a complaint, but drivers say the fragmented system often leaves them without clear support.
The testimonies have renewed calls for stronger reporting mechanisms, industry-wide anti-racism policies and greater accountability from transport companies, regulators and professional associations.
For migrant drivers who help keep Australia’s supply chains moving, the issue is not merely about workplace dignity. It is also about ensuring that those responsible for transporting essential goods can perform their jobs safely and without fear.
