The Australian traffic management sector currently faces a major threat predicated on the unprecedented volatility of global energy markets and the fragility of domestic fuel security. As of March 2026, the sudden and dramatic escalation in diesel prices, triggered by significant geopolitical conflict and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, has fundamentally altered the cost structure of infrastructure delivery in Australia. The Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime conduit responsible for the passage of approximately one-fifth of global petroleum liquids and a substantial portion of liquefied natural gas, has seen a suspension of commercial shipping that is now practically uninsurable, triggering a non-linear compounding of risk across the global supply chain. For the Traffic Management Association of Australia (TMAA) and its members, this crisis is not merely a budgetary inconvenience but a systemic challenge to the viability of a $2 billion industry that provides the essential safety foundation for the nation’s 900,000-kilometre road network.

The below recommendations should be read in conjunction with:

• 24 March 2026 TMAA Communiqué on Rising fuel costs and industry action.
• 31 March 2026 TMAA Open letter from the TMAA to federal, state, and territory road and transport authorities.

Disclaimer: This advisory represents a starting point. The fuel cost crisis requires a response that combines immediate operational measures with a sustained advocacy effort to ensure that traffic management workers are treated as the essential service they are. TMAA is committed to supporting members through this disruption. Members with questions or who require further support are encouraged to contact TMAA directly.

Detailed List of Practical Recommendations for TMAA Members

The following list of practical recommendations has been produced by the TMAA from review of  government energy guidelines, traffic management-specific operational requirements and other transport industry association advice. Members are encouraged to review these actions and implement them as part of an integrated fuel mitigation strategy.

The below recommendations should be read in conjunction with the 24 March 2026 TMAA Communiqué on Rising fuel costs and industry action.

1. Immediate actions (next 14 days)

1. Track fuel as a managed project cost

Members should treat fuel as a controllable operating cost, not just a general overhead. We recommend collecting fuel data by vehicle, driver and route, rather than only across the fleet as a whole. We also recommends using fuel cards, vehicle management systems, GPS and telematics to improve cost-effective monitoring.

Practical action: report litres consumed, idle time, kilometres travelled, and fuel cost per job, shift, depot and vehicle class.

2. Monitor Fuel Availability with online tracking tools

TMAA members are being encouraged to stay ahead of potential fuel disruptions by using online tracking tools that provides real-time insights into fuel availability across Australia, such as PetrolSpy or PetrolPulse.

The platform, PetrolPulse, offers up-to-date information on fuel shortages, helping businesses plan operations more effectively and minimise disruptions to traffic management activities. With fluctuating supply conditions and increasing pressure on fuel logistics, access to timely and reliable data is becoming increasingly important for the industry. To access the PetrolPulse tracker, visit: https://petrolpulse.com.au/fuel-shortage 

3. Use fuel cards to reduce cost and improve purchasing control

Members should consider fuel card arrangements that provide spend control, transaction reporting, simplified administration and access to discounts. TMAA partner, Shell Card offers discounts off pump prices, consolidated invoicing, spend controls, fraud protection, detailed transaction reporting and integration with accounting software. Shell also states that the card is accepted at more than 1,600 service stations across Australia, including Shell, Shell Reddy Express, Shell OTR, Liberty, Westside and Mogas.

For regional operators, the breadth of the Viva Energy network is particularly valuable. Coverage through Liberty, Mogas, and Westside Petroleum stations extends the Shell card’s usefulness well beyond metropolitan areas, making it a viable tool for crews operating in rural and remote locations where fuel options are limited.

Practical action: TMAA members should review the TMAA Shell Card offer. For more information about the exclusive Shell card offer for TMAA Members, contact tmaa@tmaa.asn.au

4. Renegotiate live contracts where diesel escalation is extraordinary

Members should proactively seek variations, temporary surcharges, or other relief where diesel increases are clearly beyond normal tender assumptions. Current contract pricing often does not reflect the true cost of delivery. Diesel rise-and-fall clauses are generally absent. It is worth noting that Queensland TMR’s Annexure E arrangements provide a precedent for recovering extraordinary fuel increases.

Practical action: 

• Use a standard evidence pack showing tender fuel baseline, current fuel cost, fleet categories affected, and additional cost per shift or per site.
• Use the TMAA Fuel Cost Calculator to estimate the impact of fuel price changes on your contract costs.

5. Use telematics to monitor and reduce fuel waste

Members should use telematics and fuel-management systems, such as Webfleet or equivalent platforms, to monitor fuel consumption at vehicle, trip and project level. Webfleet says fuel monitoring can help identify opportunities to cut costs, improve driving habits and take preventive maintenance measures. It also highlights the value of trip-level analysis, standstill duration, speeding data, driving events, historical fuel trends, and alerts that can help identify theft or unauthorised fuel use. A recent Australian fleet management industry report found that 30 per cent of transport managers are already actively monitoring fuel wastage and vehicle loads to avoid empty miles. Traffic management operators should apply the same discipline.

Share performance data with drivers transparently and constructively. Recognise improvements and frame fuel efficiency as a team response to the current crisis. Driver buy-in is essential for sustained behaviour change

Practical action: use telematics reporting to identify excessive idling, route inefficiency, unauthorised use, harsh driving and abnormal fuel burn, then use those insights for dispatch, driver coaching and site planning.

6. Minimise idling across the fleet

Implement strict idle management policies for all fleet vehicles attending site. Engines left running during briefings, site set-up, and wait periods represent avoidable fuel expenditure. The Australian Trucking Association estimates idle reduction is one of the most immediately actionable fuel-saving measures available to fleet operators. Energy consumption can vary by as much as 30% among drivers on the same route.

Practical action: implement an anti-idling policy, track idle time through telematics, and include idle reduction in supervisor and driver performance goals.

7. Reclaim eligible fuel costs through Fuel Tax Credits (FTC)

Members should review whether they are fully claiming eligible Fuel Tax Credits and, where appropriate, seek specialist advice, including from Ryan Tax Services Australia. A recent presentation from Ryan to TMAA members states that eligible fuel used off a public road may attract FTCs at 51.6 cents per litre, while fuel used in heavy vehicles over 4.5 tonnes GVM on public roads may attract FTCs at 20.3 cents per litre. Ryan’s case studies also cite a multi-million refund for a national traffic management company, with the latter supported by GPS and site data indicating that 20% of vehicle fuel use occurred off a public road.

Practical action: review current FTC treatment of site activity, vehicle classes and off-road operations, and ensure claims are supported by sound records and specialist tax advice. 

8. Build fuel review clauses into all new tenders

TMAA urges its Members to flag fuel cost risk in all new tenders.

Practical action: include a diesel baseline, trigger point for review, and index-based adjustment mechanism in future pricing submissions where possible.

9. Collaborate with clients, contractors, subcontractors and related associations

TMAA emphasises early, transparent communication with clients, suppliers and contractors to support continuity and manage cost escalation. Where TMAA members are subcontracted to road construction companies, communicate fuel cost impacts clearly and early, with documented evidence.

Require all subcontractors to communicate fuel surcharges transparently and with supporting evidence. Undocumented surcharges cannot be passed through to clients or claimed under cost recovery provisions.

Practical action: hold short fuel-impact meetings with key stakeholders to agree evidence requirements, sequencing changes and operational efficiencies. 

2. Operational changes (next 30 to 60 days)

1. Reduce unnecessary depot-to-site and inter-site travel

Eliminate unnecessary depot returns by deploying traffic controllers and equipment directly to site from their home location where operationally feasible. Returning to a depot before attending site, and again at the end of a shift, can double the kilometres driven per deployment.

Practical action: deploy crews directly to site where practical, avoid unnecessary depot returns, group jobs geographically, and reduce ad hoc supervisor travel through better planning and remote verification.

2. Establish satellite depots or project-side laydown areas where justified

For major or long-duration projects, members should assess temporary compounds, laydown areas or controlled fuel storage arrangements to reduce repeated mobilisation from distant depots.  Establish satellite staging points or forward depots on or near major project sites for longer-duration works, enabling equipment to be pre-positioned and staff to be picked up locally rather than transported from a central depot.

Explore accommodation-on-site arrangements for multi-day regional projects to eliminate daily travel between crew home bases and the worksite. At $3.20 or more per litre, the fuel cost of a return trip of 100km per day across a crew of six represents a significant daily operating cost that site accommodation may offset.

Practical action: compare the cost of current daily travel against the cost of temporary site-based support infrastructure.

3. Remove or redeploy vehicles once a closure is established

Members should review whether all light vehicles and support utes need to remain on site after set-up. Once a work zone is safely established, some vehicles may be able to be removed, rotated or replaced by static equipment.

Practical action: develop a standard vehicle matrix for set-up, steady-state and pack-down phases.

4. Train drivers and supervisors in fuel-efficient driving

TMAA recommends rolling out eco-driving training for all drivers, covering: smooth acceleration and braking, maintaining steady highway speeds, engine-off when stationary for more than one minute, anticipating traffic flow to avoid unnecessary braking, and correct gear selection to keep engines in their most efficient rev range.

Practical action: give crews a short fuel-efficiency training module focused on stop-start operations, towing, route awareness and avoiding unnecessary engine running.

5. Improve dispatch and route planning discipline

TMAA recommends route planning to reduce total distance travelled and improve fleet utilisation. It also notes that GPS review can reveal inefficient routing and help identify the most efficient vehicles.

Practical action: dispatch the nearest suitable crew, group jobs into logical runs, and use live traffic data for regional and metro scheduling.

6. Tighten maintenance, especially tyres, filters and lubricants

The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water states that maintenance can reduce fuel consumption by as much as 10%. It says truck tyres inflated 10 psi below recommended pressure can lower truck fuel efficiency by around 5%. Under-inflated tyres are also more prone to irregular tread wear. The us of low-viscosity synthetic engine oils and drivetrain lubricants can improve fuel economy by at least 3%. Replace clogged air filters promptly. A dirty air filter forces the engine to work harder and consume more fuel.

Practical action: immediately audit tyre pressure, alignment, filters, service intervals and lubricant specifications across utes, trucks, trailers and specialist vehicles.

7. Consider lower highway speeds for suitable non-urgent travel

The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water says reducing highway speed from 100 km/h to 90 km/h can reduce fuel use by nearly 10%, while also reducing tyre wear, driver stress and crash risk.

Practical action: adopt a policy for non-urgent regional travel, particularly for towing and long repositioning runs.

8. Reduce weight carried in vehicles and trailers

The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water says every 10% decrease in truck weight can reduce fuel use by 5% to 10%. It recommends lightweight trailers, alloy wheels, optimised fuel quantity carried, and lighter load systems.

Practical action: remove unnecessary stock, tools and spare equipment from support vehicles, and review whether lighter trailer or storage systems can be adopted.

3. Strategic measures (next 3 to 12 months)

1. Expand solar, battery and low-energy equipment

Assess the fuel consumption profile of all equipment on site. Where diesel-powered equipment can be replaced with battery-electric or solar alternatives, make that transition a procurement priority, particularly for equipment with predictable duty cycles (e.g., variable message signs, lighting towers, etc.). For instance, LEDs use up to 90% less electricity than standard lamps.

Practical action: prioritise solar VMS, battery-backed temporary signals, LED lighting and non-engine powered support equipment where practical.

2. Review fleet specification and replacement decisions

TMAA recommends fit-for-purpose procurement and highlights fuel-saving opportunities from low rolling-resistance tyres, lighter components and better vehicle specification. For instance, low rolling-resistance tyres can achieve fuel savings of around 5% for heavy vehicles.

Practical action: when replacing vehicles, assess lighter designs, appropriate drivetrains, low rolling-resistance tyres, and telematics-enabled vehicles.

3. Continue advocating for essential-services recognition and guaranteed fuel access

Temporary Traffic Management should be recognised alongside agriculture, freight and emergency services as an essential use of diesel. That aligns closely with TMAA’s view that traffic management should be treated as essential service delivery if rationing or capped sales interrupt safety-critical works.

TMAA advocates for fuel access guarantees should any rationing scheme be implemented. Essential services classification is particularly critical for regional operators, where the distance between fuel sources and worksites means that any supply restriction has an immediate and severe operational impact.

Practical action: TMAA will continue pressing for essential-services recognition, priority fuel access, and exemption pathways where fuel caps affect operational continuity.

The Traffic Management Association of Australia remains steadfast in its commitment to navigating this crisis alongside its members. The current energy environment is an extraordinary event that requires an extraordinary response. By combining rigorous internal cost controls with a coordinated push for "essential service" status and fair contractual terms, the traffic management sector can not only survive the immediate diesel price shocks but can emerge as a more resilient and technologically advanced industry.

The TMAA will continue to represent the interests of the sector at the highest levels of government, working with its partners to ensure that the voice of traffic management operators is heard in the National Cabinet and state departments across the country.

Partner communications:

• AfPA Issues Industry Statement on Global Bitumen Supply Chain Disruption (12/03/26)
• AfPA Issues Industry Statement on Diesel Fuel Cost Escalation (24/03/26)
• Australian industry Group calls for a national fuel response (19/03/26)
• Australian Industry Group calls for the Government to put everything on the table for fuel (25/03/26)
• HVIA Fuel Supply + Pricing Update (24/03/26)
• ATA welcomes plan to help trucking businesses recover fuel costs (24/03/26)
• Trucking industry welcomes fuel tax decision