Federal Labor is willing to compromise on new owner-driver truck rates, which the Turnbull government will ask parliament to freeze.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says he's open to seeing a longer implementation time for a decision by the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal.
"Labor is certainly up for sensible compromise about the pace in which the new minimum conditions are rolled out," he told reporters in Melbourne on Monday.
"Of course common sense can prevail."
But he defended the rates and the tribunal, set up by the Gillard government, saying there was a link between owner-drivers' and truck drivers' low rates of pay and the safety of other road users.
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"More and more you've got a churn of drivers in the industry because the hours are just too hard and too unforgiving on the bank balance and on the relationships and fatigue factors."
Mr Shorten urged Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to convene a meeting between workers, owners and unions.
In response to the anger of owner drivers, the government will introduce legislation to parliament next week that freezes pay rates that came into force on April 7.
It has also pledged to abolish the tribunal if it is re-elected.
Employment Minister Michaelia Cash doubts the government has the numbers in the Senate to do it before the election.
But crossbench senators, including Nick Xenophon and Glenn Lazarus, have urged the coalition to test their support.
Senator Lazarus plans to introduce his own legislation next week.
Senator Cash has called on owner drivers to bring a convoy to Canberra to pressure the opposition.
Labor's transport spokesman Anthony Albanese accused her of provoking industrial action.
