Truck drivers operating within 100 kilometres of their base and farmers operating in a 160 kilometre radius of their farm are now excluded from the work diary requirements of the laws.

Jill Lewis, manager of ATA NSW, said the changes were a big step for the state’s truck drivers and operators.

“These changes remove the possibility that drivers doing local work, such as transporting gravel or moving containers from port to warehouse, will have to fill in work diaries,” she said.

“It would have been an enormous compliance burden for no gain in safety.

“As the peak body representing the state’s trucking industry, ATA NSW has lobbied Mr Daley’s office hard for the changes, along with many other organisations.”

As a new measure drivers operating under the Basic and Advanced Fatigue Management Schemes will also qualify for the 100 kilometre local work exemption.

They will no longer have to carry and keep a work diary, but will still have to keep basic records of the times and dates they drive.

“Now we can get on with powering local economies, without being burdened by unnecessary paperwork,” Ms Lewis said.

The changes will come into effect when the existing fatigue exemptions expire in September.