The 59-year-old male driver and a 58-year-old male passenger died at the scene.

Goulburn duty officer inspector Rob Post did not release their names or home towns yesterday as the families of the men were still being contacted. They are not believed to be from the Yass area.

He said the Volvo b-double truck was travelling south on the Hume Highway about two kilometres from the Gunning exit when it crashed.

For reasons unknown it travelled through the median strip and across the northbound lanes and through a guard rail, at about 12.17am. It landed down a steep embankment in thick scrub.

There was minor disruption to traffic on the highway as crime scene investigators examined the scene.

Further minor disruptions were expected late yesterday as tow truck crews worked to salvage the wreckage.

The truck appeared to have been transporting magazines at the time.

“A brief will be prepared for the coroner … and hopefully will determine the cause or contributing factors behind the collision,” inspector Post told the Tribune.

This is the latest in a string of accidents involving trucks on the Hume Highway in our region over recent weeks.

See Friday’s Tribune for more on the recent spate of Hume Highway accidents.