An alarming number of theft reports at Greater Sydney rest areas has the peak state trucking body urging drivers to be on alert.
According to Road Freight NSW CEO Simon O’Hara, operators have reported a string of what appear to be highly organised trailer break-ins, primarily targeting liquor, from Pheasants Nest in the south to western Sydney in recent months.
“They come in the middle of the night with a small truck or van, and then are on their way,” O’Hara said.
“Truckies have confronted some of these individuals and they have run.
“In other instances, truckies have awoken to find goods missing the next morning with the curtains slightly open.”
O’Hara said the brazen thieves have even been known to put the flaps and strapping back correctly, with the theft only becoming apparent when a customer raises with the freight operator why cartons are missing from a delivery/consignment.
“There are a number of individuals involved with these thefts and operators indicate to me, from video footage, some seem to know what they are doing.”
O’Hara said the police have been notified and operators have had to now invest in “anti-theft measures”.
“Our counsel to truckies is to be very careful when engaging with these individuals, and if possible, rather than engaging with these individuals to call 000 and notify their freight operator instead.”
Late last month, police were called to a service station on Blueberry Road, Moree, following reports of a robbery.
On arrival, officers attached to New England Police District spoke to a 60-year-old man who told them he was taking a rest in his truck when an unknown male entered the cab of the truck and demanded money.
The male took a mobile phone and cigarettes from the truck before fleeing with another male on a motorcycle.
The truckie was uninjured and did not require medical attention.