Australia Weather News

A Facebook post thanking a truck driver for guiding a couple through heavy rain in north Queensland has gone viral, with the driver saying the attention for his actions has been "unexpected".

Emily Clarke first shared the post on Friday after she said they "encountered one of the most severe storms" while driving through Proserpine last week, saying the truck driver helped them safely through it.

"The water was lapping both sides of the Bruce Highway and in some parts, it was over the road," Ms Clarke wrote.

"We noticed the truck moving over to the left and I asked Jay, do you think he is pushing the excess water off the road for us?

"It was so bad that I could see only his brake lights at one point.

"It was unsafe to stop so I committed and tucked in behind the truck and he guided me, braking frequently and putting his indicator on the side that there was an upcoming hazard."

She said she had a sick feeling that if they stopped they would be in more danger, so they followed the truck until he turned off at a pub just before Mackay.

"Jay got out of the car and met him as he got out of his truck to thank him," she wrote.

"His name is Footie and he is from Melbourne, and just so humble.

"He said I could see more than you, and if you were my family, I would only hope that another truck driver would do that for them."

She said they offered to buy him a drink and "thanked him from the bottom of our hearts for helping keep us safe."

"To all the Footies out there on the road looking out for us during this crazy weather and especially at this time of the year when the roads are the busiest, we know you have a job to do but we appreciate you!"

The post has since been liked more than 33,000 times and has more than 10,000 shares.

Ms Clarke later wrote a message shared from the truck driver, Footie, himself.

"Well, that's very unexpected. I've been contacted by plenty of people today about a young family that said some very nice things about my conduct as a driver in some pretty terrible storm conditions in Nth Queensland yesterday," he wrote.

"With out sounding like a total knob, thanks to everyone, including my beautiful family, friends, and strangers that have commented … I'm absolutely gobsmacked by the interest.

"It's honestly nothing I wouldn't think that any truckie wouldn't do to try keep people as safe as possible.

"Special thanks for the kind words Clarke family. Merry Christmas to all, and a safe and Happy New Year."

ABC