Walgett Highway Patrol has released the results of this week’s two-day heavy vehicle operation on both directions of the Castlereagh Highway in Walgett, NSW.
Over the course of the operation, officers intercepted 65 heavy vehicles, resulting in:
• 63 penalty notices issued
• 3 positive roadside drug tests
• 17 fatigue-related offences
• 2 defective heavy vehicles identified
• 11 work diary offences
• 2 speeding offences
Police said one driver was stopped twice on successive days and on both occassions allegedly tested positive for drug use.
On the Wednesday (July 10), the driver, a 35-year-old man from the Australian Capital Territory, allegedly tested positive for both cocaine and methamphetamine during a drug test and was consequently prohibited from driving for 24 hours.
The same driver was stopped again the following morning driving the same truck, allegedly testing positive for methamphetamine once more.
This man will be due to appear before Walgett Local Court, pending laboratory analysis of his oral fluid.
In a separate incident on Thursday, July 11, officers intercepted a heavy vehicle travelling south towards Walgett.
Upon request to produce his work diary, the 61-year-old driver allegedly claimed it was lost.
Subsequent investigations prompted officers to search the truck, finding the work diary hidden beneath the driver’s bed.
Further inspection of the vehicle allegedly unveiled additional defects, including non-retracting seatbelts, substantial windscreen damage, and missing required ‘Road Train’ signage following measurement of the combination.
This vehicle was issued with a Major Defect Notice and was prohibited from being driven further.
The driver received four penalty notices totalling $1694 and incurred six demerit points.
An examination of his work diary revealed the below serious fatigue and diary-related offences, alleged police.
• 1x solo driver work more than standard maximum time (CRITICAL BREACH)
• 1x solo driver work more than standard maximum time (MINOR BREACH)
• 2x solo driver work more than standard maximum time (SEVERE BREACH)
• 6x various work diary offences
• Fail to produce work diary for inspection
The driver is to appear before Walgett Local Court at a later date in relation to the additional work diary offences.
Do the same standards apply to government owned vehicles and their drivers ?
Why can’t these inspections be carried out near towns for toilet and food and financial facilities instead of in this case being told the truck has to be towed at great expense to a town to be repaired .
I would like to meet the bureaucrats who make these insane expectations of what they think a driver of heavy transport is prepared to take before it get to be too much for their minds to take in .