The Northern Territory Road Transport Association has criticised the time it takes for their members, who are classified as essential workers, to receive their COVID-19 results.
Executive officer Louise Bilato said that result times varied across the country, depending where the tests were done.
"That is problematic," she said.
Ms Bilato said that drivers required proof of a negative rapid test result that was no older than 72 hours.
That applied whether they were crossing a border or heading to the Newmont gold mine in the Tanami Desert, the site of a COVID-19 outbreak in June 2021.
"And that means that they have to get another COVID-19 test.
"At at the Newmont mine on the Tanami road, the drivers are forced to wait at the gate until the test results turn up on their phone."
The new testing regime for the Newmont mine was implemented three weeks ago.
"This was a direct result of the shut down in at the mine in June," Ms Bilato said.
She said it was a "challenging" situation, given the drivers were required to be tested three times per week.
"The drivers are just doing their jobs and ensuring they're not an inadvertent carrier."
Call for rapid testing at state borders
Ms Bilato said that rapid testing would be welcomed by the sector.
"We've certainly seen that it could provide another layer of protection," she said.
Ms BiIato is calling on the both tiers of government to purchase and provide rapid antigen testing kits at the border.
"If [government] buy them, it will ensure the most efficacious and suitable quality testing kits are being used."
Ms Bilato said that the industry was concerned about the spread of the Delta coronavirus strain across Australia and praised NT members for being conscientious.
"We've been working with the industry for a very long time to encourage their workforces to be double vaccinated," she said.
"Here in the Territory, we've been very fortunate to be able to find that very easy for truck drivers to get double vaccinated."
