City drivers, tourists urged to exercise patience around road trains during long harvest

A long harvest means up to three times the number of trucks will be on the road late into holidays. (Supplied: Jason Bingham)

Drivers unfamiliar with country driving are being urged to act safely around road trains as a delayed harvest in Western Australia's south keeps grain trucks on the road for longer this summer.

The number of trucks on roads in and around the Wheatbelt and Great Southern will triple over coming weeks as grain is transported from paddock to port.

Livestock and Rural Transport Association of WA president David Fyfe said a boom in tourists heading to regional WA due to the state's restricted borders was putting more road trains and city drivers into close contact.

The Lake Grace truck driver said a later start to the southern harvest due to a wet winter meant grain trucks will remain on roads for longer than usual.

Harvest delay means more trucks

A grain truck and its trailers can stretch up to 36 metres in length.

Livestock and Road Transport Association of WA president David Fyfe. (ABC Landline: Mark Bennett)

"This time of the year, the truck movements probably treble [compared] to a normal time, and the vehicles are longer and heavier than normal," Mr Fyfe said.

Police have reported several grain truck rollovers in the Great Southern this month.

Mr Fyfe said Perth drivers need to be mindful of road trains when travelling through the region.

"[Trucks] will be mixed with motorists that aren't used to travelling behind heavy vehicles that change speed," he said.

"We find a lot of motorists that are in the city are used to travelling on freeways behind heavy vehicles that might be doing 80-90kph, but out here a heavy vehicle can be doing 50kph up a hill and in a very short time it can be doing 90kph down the other side."

Patience needed around road trains

Mr Fyfe said impatience was the most common issue which could create danger on the road.

"The motorist is becoming impatient, trying to work out when to pass, or they sit very close behind, waiting for the truck driver up the front to indicate to come around," he said.

Grain trucks are currently moving enormous amounts of grain across southern WA. (Supplied: CBH Group)

Mr Fyfe said if smaller vehicles sit back behind road trains the truck driver can maintain vision of them which improves safety for all.

"You do get very nervous when you have cars within a few metres behind a 36-metre road train," he said.