VicRoads strikes with a COR prosecution against a driver, operator and a consignor after a truck loses its load
By Samantha Freestone | April 22, 2010
An operator has been fined and a driver and a consignor have been convicted under chain of responsibility law for failing to secure a load.
Sims Group Holdings last month pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to secure a load of steel as a consignor under the Road Safety Act. The load of steel came loose on Western Ring Road, smashing through a car’s windshield and causing almost $10,000 in damage.
The company was convicted and fined $6,000 and was ordered to pay $2,750 in court costs.
The truck driver, Silvio Petrongolo, and his employer, Monteview Developments, also pleaded guilty for not securing the load.
Along with a conviction, Petrongolo was fined $2,500 and had his heavy vehicle endorsement suspended for three months.
Monteview Developments was fined $2,500 but was not convicted.
Petrongolo was driving when he lost the load on an on-ramp off the Western Ring Road in Camberfield in 2008.
The incident caused significant congestion. Transport Safety Services (TSS) officers were called in to clean up the mess and liaised with VicRoads to investigate the incident.
Sim Steel originally contested the charge but eventually pleaded guilty.
Chain of responsibility law puts the onus on all parties in the supply chain to manage issues such as fatigue, speed and mass.