NSW RMS will now have the power to deregister trucks for three months if operators fail to fix defects
November 27, 2013
Trucking companies that fail to fix defects in their fleet now risk having their rigs shunted off the road in New South Wales.
State Roads Minister Duncan Gay has handed the enforcement arm of the Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) the power to deregister trucks for up to three months if the owners ignore orders to repair defects.
Gay says fixing defects rests with trucking companies but not all are meeting their obligations.
“On occasions, trucking companies send defected trucks back to our checking stations to be cleared for road worthiness without those repairs having been carried out,” he says.
“This is an appalling situation for our inspectors and a burden on the NSW taxpayer. NSW inspectors will now be given the powers to deregister these trucks for up to three months if they have not carried out the required repairs.”
Gay says the community and the NSW Government expect the trucking industry to meet its obligations.
“We cannot have these cowboys, this small but increasing group, when given defect notices blatantly ignoring them. If they are not going to stick to the rules and be fair dinkum about road safety, we will take them off the road,” he says.
Gay has also asked his department to look at giving investigators the power to force trucking operators to hand over details of their maintenance schemes, including information about expenditure on their fleets, no matter which jurisdictions they are from.
“As the through state for heavy vehicle freight on the eastern seaboard NSW sees over 60 per cent of the nation’s road freight task and we’re spending $70 million on truck enforcement each year, more than half of the $130 million figure spent nationally,” Gay says.
“Wherever there is an area our heavy vehicle enforcement team needs greater powers, we will provide them.”
Gay says NSW has the most comprehensive inspection scheme in the country with more than 280 frontline inspectors and investigators.
“As far as inspections and enforcement goes we are the toughest state in the country,” he says.
