Greg Haylock is no stranger to life lost on the road.
The trucking company owner remembers the day a collision killed one of his best drivers.
Mr Haylock's trucking business, Emerald Carrying, employs 200 drivers for a fleet of 120 trucks that cart fuel all over north-west Queensland.
His drivers spend long hours travelling back and forth along the 780-kilometre stretch that is the Flinders Highway.
The two-lane road is the main commodity corridor used to feed and fuel north-west Queensland and parts of the Northern Territory, including one of the world's richest mining regions — the North West Minerals Province.
While dodging potholes and wrestling wheels through black soil and narrow bridges have become second nature to Mr Haylock's drivers, he said that did not stop him from worrying.
Since 2019, there have been 71 crashes on Flinders Highway. Four incidents were fatal, including a head-on collision with a truck that killed a woman and her daughter last year.
In July 2021, three men died after their cars collided, and a man died this April after his ute overturned.
Mr Haylock said the poor condition of the road and narrow lanes made it a dangerous route for his drivers.
"And when something does go wrong, it makes a hell of an impact on the business and the morale."
In the Queensland budget, handed down this week, $489.9 million was allocated to improving roads in the state's north west over the next four years.
That included $129 million for the Flinders Highway.
But Mr Haylock said the list of repairs needed to make the road safer far outweighed that sum.
"There are a lot of narrow bridges where trucks must call oncoming traffic. There are rough shoulders," he said.
"We've got triple road trains carrying fuel on that road. It needs to be a dual carriageway [two lanes in each direction separated by a strip of land].
Not enough for 'lifeblood' road
Belinda Murphy owns trucking company KW Murphy Holdings based in Julia Creek. Her fleet transports cattle around the region.
"This is a significant road — whether you're talking cattle or general freight, it's the lifeblood to out here and into the Territory," she said.
Likening the road to a patchwork quilt, Ms Murphy said a focus was needed on continual improvement of infrastructure rather than patching up sections.
"It's so uneven. Basically, from Charters Towers out to Mount Isa you get a lot of inconsistency in the road condition," she said.
"Consistency is the biggest issue for our drivers."
She said $129 million did not reflect the value of the corridor.
"I understand that Queensland has a huge road network but, at the end of the day, this is a significant supply chain, not just for our trucks but for tourism. And it needs greater investment."
Stifling development of a 'wealthy' region
The North West Minerals Province is one of the richest minerals regions in the world.
Despite that, freighting products in and out of the area has long been an issue due to poor transport infrastructure.
"It's a shame that the road isn't in better condition because there's so much wealth coming out of that area," Mr Haylock said.
Mayor of Richmond Shire Council John Wharton said the poor condition of the Flinders Highway was discouraging people and businesses from moving to the region.
"Without good roads, we don't get investors. They won't come out here, they can't move their product, they can't get staff," Mr Wharton said.
"If we want people to work in these communities out here, we've got to have good roads.
Black soil danger zones
Having seen his fair share of truck rollovers, Mr Wharton said areas of black soil were a major concern and required "immediate" attention.
"We really would like both state and federal governments to move that money forward and spend it immediately because the road is very dangerous in a lot of places, particularly on the black soil between Cloncurry and Hughenden," he said.
Leader of the Katter Australia Party and Member for Traeger Robbie Katter said areas of black soil and uneven surfaces should be a priority for future works.
"Those poor road conditions can do untold damage to machines," he said.
"Truck drivers have been in my office about that because the earth shifts a lot on that black soil and, at the very least, you slow down, but if you don't see it in time, it can do a lot of damage to vehicles."
While all stakeholders said they were grateful for the funding, Mr Haylock said he would not be holding his breath for any major improvements.
"We'll just keep doing the best we can," he said.
Ms Murphy said the funding was too little too late.
"Any funding is welcome, and I know they are doing some works, but it's just gotten too far behind for too many years," she said.
