The Hobart man was travelling on the Bass Highway near Deloraine on Monday morning when he drove in front of the oncoming vehicle, hit the brakes, lost control of his car and crashed into the truck then down an embankment. 

The driver, believed to have been in his 50s, died instantly in the crash.

The man behind the wheel of the Toll truck was not physically injured.

Tasmania Police Sergeant Phil Summers said another car had overtaken the truck before the crash.

“We will be looking at dash cams and vehicle cams, which a lot of trucks have these days and should give us a very clear picture on what happened,” he said.

While speed was not believed to have been a factor and road conditions were fine at the time of the crash, Sergeant Summers urged drivers to pay attention on the road.

“Take your time, it is not worth rushing to get home if you are not going to get there,” he said.

“Be careful, there are a lot of overtaking lanes on the reworked highways these days, use them, you don’t need to try and overtake when it’s not safe.

“If his view was obscured by the vehicle in front, he shouldn’t have attempted to overtake.”

Emergency crews remained at the scene until 4pm, with both lanes of the highway closed for more than five hours.

Anyone who witnessed the crash or has information has been asked to contact Northern Crash Investigation Service on 6777 3936 or 131 444.