This is the terrifying moment a truck driver "fell asleep" at the wheel before smashing into a waiting row of six vehicles.

Piak Rawatchu, 49, was driving the 22-wheel lorry to deliver jelly when he nodded off on the motorway in Nong Khai, northeastern Thailand.

Dashcam footage from Tuesday (December 3) morning shows the shocking moment the truck approached a row of cars waiting at a checkpoint.

Piak failed to slow down and ploughed into the first car in the queue - which was shunted forward into those in front.

Six cars were damaged and five people injured but miraculously nobody was seriously hurt.

The careless driver said his freight was being delivered to Laos when he ''passed out'' and did not notice the cars in front.

He said: "I drove from Udon Thani to deliver the freight to Laos but I passed out and did not see the cars in front of me slowing down then I hit them."

Police Captain Plaichumphon Chantrawimon said that he believes the driver had fallen asleep at the wheel, leading to the accident.

He said the driver's company had ''settled'' the incident by offering to pay for the damage to the cars and medical bills of those injured.

The police chief said: "The company manager came and talked to the victim's and promised to be responsible for their employee's carelessness.

''They will compensate those injured and discipline the driver for falling asleep when he should have been paying attention.''