Hydrogen is fast becoming the great white hope of the great green transition. Governments, investors and industry consortia across Australia have announced ambitious strategies to build out Australia's hydrogen ecosystem; the Federal Government announced AU$2 billion in funding for large-scale green hydrogen projects as recently as this month. To date, the heavy vehicle sector has been flagged as one of the key markets for future hydrogen technologies. Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) and even hydrogen combustion engines are routinely assumed to address those segments of Australia's truck fleet that cannot be readily transitioned to battery electric vehicles (BEVs). Increasingly, however, this assumption is coming under strain. Preliminary analysis suggests that even with today's BEV technology, the shortfall in operational energy demand, battery density and vehicle range may not be as unviable as first thought. This paper analyses Australia's regional and long-haul road transport segments, breaking down current freight demand into a set of core operational profiles, then cross-referencing them against key FCEV and BEV metrics, based on 2023 data. Using a spatial case study, the paper maps real-world freight routes to assess realistic use cases for both battery and hydrogen heavy vehicles. The analysis also evaluates emerging battery-swap technology, drawing on indicative data from early Australian trials and more developed international benchmarks. Together, this analysis offers a 'reality check' into the Australian truck sector's pathway to net zero and can serve to better inform policy development and investment decisions going forward.