Two heavy vehicle drivers were stopped at Oodla Wirra last week and reported for a number of driving offences, says South Australia Police (SAPOL).
About 5.30pm on Tuesday, October 11, police from the Heavy Vehicle Enforcement Unit stopped two road trains on the Barrier Highway, about halfway between Adelaide and Broken Hill, after they were seen to have no number plates on any of their trailers.
According to the report on the SAPOL Facebook page, the two drivers, aged 58 and 56 from Western Australia, were submitted to a roadside drug test and both men allegedly returned a positive result for methamphetamine. They were both directed not to drive for 24 hours.
SAPOL officers conducted inspections on the trucks and trailers, and it was identified that both of the Kenworth prime movers engine control modules had been unlawfully tampered with.
Also, none of the six trailers on either of the combinations were registered or had number plates, and the drivers were unable to produce valid permits to allow them to be driven on the road.
Neither of the drivers possessed a National Work Diary and from what driving records were located, it was clear that both had been exceeding the maximum permitted work limits in the previous seven days.
Both drivers were reported for a number of offences including failing to carry a work diary, exceeding permitted work hours and failing to comply with maximum work limits. They may face further drug driving charges pending results of a forensic analysis.
Both of the prime movers were defected for repair to the original engine manufacturer.
Further inquiries will be made with the employer of both drivers, say police.