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RTA uses heavy hand of the law to rein in offenders

The NSW RTA has revealed it has been successful in getting court supervisory intervention orders enacted against a number of major road transport operators

March 5, 2009

The NSW Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) has revealed it has been successfully in getting court supervisory intervention order enacted against a number of major road transport operators.

This follows this week’s announcement that Annfield Pty Ltd, which trades as Fred’s Interstate Transport, had been subject to such an order.

Courts can issue such an order against an entity that directs it to change elements of its management and operational practices, including the forced purchase of equipment.

Fred’s was fined $12,000 and will have to install equipment on all its 60 vehicles at a cost of $400,000 for persistent overloading offences.

Figures released to ATN by the RTA confirm that some transport companies have had to pay almost three quarters of a million dollars in fines and compliance costs after being slapped with a supervisory intervention order.

According to the RTA, the most notable offender is Grasten Pty Ltd, which trades as Mannway Leading Edge Logistics. The company has been fined $300,000 and ordered to pay compliance costs of $400,000.

Other companies previously in trouble with the RTA include:

  • Maraline Pty Ltd, Mireau Pty Ltd and Zaens Pty Ltd, known as Lennon’s Transport Services, which were all hit with supervisory intervention orders
  • Queensland Freight Management which was given a supervisory intervention order, fines of $22,000 and compliance costs of $320,000
  • Ammac Warehousing and Transport Pty Ltd, which was fined $62,000 on top of a supervisory intervention order.

A spokesperson from the RTA says since laws were bought into practice in 2005 a number of significant punishments have been laid out by the Authority.

“A number of companies have been prosecuted since the chain-of-responsibility laws commenced as a result of past and ongoing investigations.

“Some of the significant events include the successful prosecution of over 330 consignors and consignees and the prosecution of a director of a transport company that went into receivership who was fined $150,000 personally for 89 offences committed by the company,” the spokesperson says.

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