Caltex manager Jo-Anne Mulligan said business had dropped about 5 per cent since the M15 opened on March 22.

Ms Mulligan said many of the trucks that stopped at her shop before the new road opened still frequented the truck stop to refuel their vehicles and their bodies.

“There hasn’t been a great deal of change,” she said. 

“We are in a prime position for people to dart onto the highway and get brekky then get back on [the expressway].”

The M15 created a route for traffic to bypass towns such as Greta and Branxton that previously had the opportunity of regular business from passing motorists on the New England Highway.

There has been speculation as to what effect reduced traffic would have on businesses, such as service stations and food outlets.

Ms Mulligan said between 30 and 40 per cent of her business came from truck drivers, many of whom travelled on the expressway. She said mine employees made up 50 per cent of her business, while general motorists comprised between 10 and 20 per cent.

“I expected there to be a big difference, but so far it hasn’t been too bad, but that could change in the future,” she said.

“We talked to a lot of truckies before the expressway opened and they said they would still drop in.”