As a young boy, like many others, Rod Hannifey was enamoured with big trucks.

It fuelled a curiosity about the vehicles and those who drove them that ran deeper than most.

"The bloke down the road actually had trucks, and I went down there and asked what he did and how it all worked," he says.

Mr Hannifey went on to fulfil his childhood dream, and has ridden the long open roads for the past 30 years.

But the job isn't all it's cracked up to be.

The industry is facing a mental health crisis.

Long periods away from family and friends, often by himself, means Mr Hannifey has missed out on his kids' parties and school events.

"I live in this truck five or six nights a week," he tells AAP.

"I've left home to be away for a day and come home in three weeks.

"Once in a blue moon, I'm the odd bloke out because I happen to be home. It leaves you with that feeling of guilt."

The 66-year-old laments the often thankless role he plays in helping to keep the nation running and the immense toll the job takes on truckies like him.

Navigating a 65-tonne rig alongside other drivers on the road, and restrictive regulations imposed on heavy vehicle drivers have added to the mental burden.

"Every day someone tries to kill you," he says of the dangers posed by other drivers.

"They obviously don't go out with that intent, but they make a mistake or they don't understand trucks properly.

"And you have to live with it. You have to deal with it every second - it loads the stress."

Years ago, kids would stand on the side of the road and pretend to pull air horns with dreams of one day being behind the wheel, he says.

"Now they've grown up and most truckies tell their kids they shouldn't drive trucks because it's such a hard life."

Mental health problems are among the top three health risks for truckies but Mr Hannifey is on a one-man quest to alter that, one conversation at a time.

In a first, Australian radio communications company GME and Rural Outreach Counselling have teamed up to break the stigma surrounding mental health issues by bringing support directly into drivers' cabs.

The Open Road Open Up initiative will allow truck drivers to dial into channel 24 on their radios to chat with Mr Hannifey about their issues and be referred to appropriate mental health assistance.

"I'm not on every road, and I'm not gonna see every truck driver, but if they come up behind me and see the sign (on the back of my truck), it might just be the thing that gives them the idea to open up," he says.

According to the government's Driving Health report, half of all truck drivers report some level of psychological distress while on the road.

One in five drivers under the age of 35 reported severe distress, almost double the national average for males of the same age.

Rural Outreach Counselling president David Post, a former truckie himself, tells AAP he's experienced the same isolation that plagues many in the industry.

"What we're trying to do is short-circuit the system so if someone wants to talk, through Rod, it'll allow them to make contact with a professional very quickly," Mr Post says.

"He will do an amazing job of connecting with people because he understands through the many hours he sits behind that wheel."

The National Road Transport Association says soaring inflation, disrupted supply lines, driver shortages, sky-high fuel prices and diminishing financial returns are generating a perfect storm.

"We hear stories every day about road transport operators having a hard time and it seems like the bad news is never-ending," chief executive Warren Clarke tells AAP.

"Factor in ever-mounting red tape and a regulatory regime focused on punishment for even the most trivial administrative offence, and you start to appreciate how tough it is to be a truckie."

GME's Tony Crooke acknowledges truckies spend lots of time on the open road in remote regional areas, often without phone reception.

"Staying in touch can mean the difference between life and death," he says.

Mr Post agrees, saying once people start ruminating when they become isolated, it can snowball into depression.

With the industry overwhelmingly male-dominated, Mr Hannifey says drivers are often reluctant to open up to someone they perceive to have a lack of lived experience.

"If they see (the Open Road Open Up sign) on a truck, and they're following me, they know I'm a truck driver. I'm not a counsellor driving a truck."

While the initiative is limited at this stage to the roads Mr Hannifey travels, he wants drivers to know they're not alone - even if they're on the other side of the country.

"Give me a call and say g'day but if you don't see me and you've got a problem, talk to someone," he says.

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