Bird’s Eye View

BIRDS EYE VIEW by Carol Messenger

Cowboys are the scourge of every industry but are particularly bad within the Transport Industry. They are a physical danger to themselves and everyone else on the road but are a real financial concern as they cut rates to the bone, run heavy, wide, unlicensed and unpermitted.

For the customers who unknowingly have their freight on these trucks there is no comeback. If there is an accident – worse still if they cause damage, injury or death to others then there is no insurance cover – that is if they even had insurance in the first place.

From time to time we hear of some of these incidents. Some incidents you would classify as simple – excess weight/excess size which (if caught) are subject to a fine and sometimes a grounding order until the issue is rectified and brought back into the legal limit.

But sometimes the extent of the breaches blows the mind of even the more experienced operators.

Late afternoon on 11th October, Police from the South Australian Heavy Vehicle Enforcement Unit stopped two road trains near Oodla Wirra when they noticed that the trailers weren’t displaying.

Officers then conducted inspections on the trucks and trailers only to find that the speed limiters on the trucks had been removed, ‘none’ of the trailers or dollies were registered or had number plates attached and there were no permits in place allowing them to be used on the road or in combination– but this was just the start of their problems.

The Officers then turned their attention to the drivers who were both from Western Australia – aged 56 and 58 (so no chance of pleading youth and inexperience). Both drivers were drug tested and both returned a positive methamphetamine result.

Neither driver was operating a log book or work diary and from what little paperwork the officers could locate they found that both drivers had exceeded the maximum permitted work limits in the previous seven days.

So we have two drivers, under the influence of drugs, driving unlicensed vehicles, at speed and overtired due to excess working hours – so very lucky for everyone that they weren’t involved in an accident.

So how the hell does this happen? OK, the drivers may not know whether the vehicle registration is up to date, but they would certainly notice that there were no number plates and this might give a bloody big hint. They would also be more than aware that the speed limiters were disabled and that they were working excess hours. The employer would also have been aware that these guys were running illegally. Chain of Responsibility makes then just as liable as the drivers.

The sad thing is that although caught, prosecuted and fined, the company can just close the doors and wipe the debt. They can restart the next day under a new name, with all the same owners and equipment and have a fresh start. Until provisions are made to prevent this from happening we will all continue to suffer due to these cowboys in the industry.