With the Goulburn truckwash at the local saleyard charging $1 per minute, it’s becoming an increasingly frequent occurrence.

Last year he spent about $35,000 washing out trucks, as required for biosecurity.

“It’s either leave your truck dirty and cart sheep or go to Moss Vale or Crookwell to wash them out but there’s no provision at Crookwell for B-doubles,” Mr Troutman said.

“It’s a huge inconvenience and this year we will run into footrot problems with such a wet winter.”

Mr Troutman has been leading the charge for a truckwash alternative. Following talks with him, Goulburn Mulwaree Council has applied for $1.3 million in State and Federal Government funding to build a facility at Southern Meats export abattoir.

Council general manager Warwick Bennett said he was still awaiting the outcome but the project had several benefits.

“It could be used for more than just stock trucks. We have so many trucks travelling up and down the highway every day that could also use it,” he said.

Mr Bennett pointed out that many carriers were spending up to $70,000 washing out their vehicles.

But under funding terms, it must be a publicly owned. Southern Meats is willing to donate the land.

The company’s operations manager Scott Newton said the council approached Southern Meats about two months ago about using their land.

“It is in our best interests because we don’t have a truckwash and we need clean trucks coming on to our site,” he said.

“We have the majority of the infrastructure in place, being able to supply a significant amount of wastewater.”

An average six to seven trucks arrive daily at Southern meats, supplying 4000 sheep.

Mr Newton said the facility would pay for itself and would be affordable for users. Under the arrangement the council would secure the funding and Southern Meats would operate it at no cost to ratepayers. Mr Newton said finer details like the return to both parties had to be worked out. 

For now it all depends on a successful grant application. Mr Troutman said he’d been told industry contributions would count.

“I’m pretty confident we’ll get the funding...It will be a well used facility,” he said.