More than 180 traffic-infringement notices were issued and 29 heavy-vehicle charges laid during a Traffic and Highway Patrol Command operation.
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During the three-day operation on July 3–5, NSW Police conducted a heavy-vehicle enforcement aimed at addressing the over-representation of heavy vehicle in the Southern Region serious crash statistics.
The operation was conducted simultaneously on the Sturt Highway at Hay and the Newell Highway at Wyalong.
NSW Police personnel stopped and conducted compliance checks on 724 heavy vehicles (out of 839 vehicles) travelling on these major interstate arterial roads.
The 29 heavy-vehicle charges included severe load–restraint and dimension breaches and critical driving–hour offences.
The traffic-infringement notices were issued for offences related to work-diary breaches, load-restraint and dimensional non-compliance, defective vehicles, seat-belts and speeding.
The heavy vehicles stopped during the operation included road trains and other multi-combination units operating in a line-haul capacity, local trucks, and trucks used in primary production – including those carrying fodder, cotton and other commodities.
In a statement, the Traffic and Highway Patrol Command said: “One B-double had an unregistered trailer and several drivers were spoken to regarding general non-compliance (sign height, number plate location, etc.)”.
Further, 54 electronic control–module downloads were conducted where three trucks were identified as being non-compliant.
“One truck that formed the hauling unit of a road train was capable of a top speed of 132 km/h.
One truck that formed the hauling unit of a road train was capable of a top speed of 132 km/h.
- Traffic and Highway Patrol Command, NSW Police Force
“The non-compliant vehicles were grounded pending re-calibration of the speed-limiting equipment and appropriate infringement notices were issued,” the police statement read.
One vehicle travelling from Western Australia to Sydney was inspected and discovered to have numerous heavy steel plates loaded on both the lead and following trailer, which were inadequately restrained.
“The vehicle was directed to a local transport yard where it was unloaded, re-loaded and restrained properly.
“An appropriate charge was preferred against the vehicle owner under National Heavy Vehicle Law Chain-Of-responsibility legislation,” Traffic and Highway Patrol Command said.
The Police statement also said that several trucks were identified as having ineffective load-restraint systems.
“Drivers were made to make the loading safe before the vehicles were allowed to proceed upon their respective journeys.”
