Flooding Disrupts Queensland Truck Drivers and Produce Transport

There are fears truckloads of produce could go completely to waste if Queensland's busiest road remains cut off due to lingering floodwaters.

Around 60 truck drivers have been stranded in the North Queensland town of Cardwell, about halfway between Cairns and Townsville. The Bruce Highway from Cardwell to Ingham remains closed due to the Seymour River flooding.

Among the stranded drivers is Gus Sacco, a driver from Mackay who is making his way back from deliveries to Cairns and Port Douglas. He told Yahoo News Australia on Thursday that he's been stuck in the seaside town since Tuesday night.

He even filmed incredible drone footage showing a line of trucks sitting idle for as far as the eye can see along the town's waterfront.

"They've lined up the whole main street," he said. "We're stuck here."

While Gus isn't carrying any perishable items in his rig, other drivers have loads of produce they fear could be wasted if the roads aren't open soon.

One driver is reportedly carrying a load of bananas that need to be in Sydney by Friday. Another is carrying a load of mangoes.

"A lot of the trucks are refrigerated," Gus said. "I think their biggest problem is their fridge mate is running out of fuel. I've noticed a couple of guys have been siphoning some into their tanks."

As the stranded drivers sleep in their cabs on the side of the road, members of the community have stepped up to make their stay as comfortable as possible.

One local is raising money for a beer tab for the drivers at the local Marine Hotel, while residents cooked up a free dinner on Wednesday night at the Cardwell Swimming Pool, which also opened its showers up for the drivers to use.

On Thursday morning, the Lions Club of Ingham ran a free sausage sizzle with coffee. And Brumby's Bakery has baked so much bread over the last few days they're running out of flour.

"The locals have been really helpful," Gus said, adding that he'd prefer to pay for his meals to "support the locals while they're supporting us".

Another truck driver, Billy, took to Facebook to share his gratitude for the locals of Cardwell.

"The residents here are the most honest and caring people I have met in all my years," he wrote. "Willing to go out of their way to make sure truck drivers have food and all other essential items they need while we [are] stuck due to flooding."

"Their hospitality is truly amazing and I cannot thank them enough."

A worker at the Marine Hotel told Yahoo it's just what the Cardwell community does. "We're a pretty good community here and we all look after each other," she said.

On Facebook, many locals thanked the truckies for their hard work.

"This is so sad," one person commented alongside a picture of the truckies left waiting on the side of the road. "The truckers are trying so hard to keep the north afloat. Thanks guys."

With the rainfall finally easing after record-breaking floods across North Queensland, the truckies are hopeful that flood levels will fall enough to allow them to pass through by Friday.

One of the hardest hit towns was Ingham, which experienced a "once in a century" event, Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said.

The Herbert River near Ingham is the last river in Queensland to remain on the Bureau of Meteorology's major flood warning list.