Company raided after drug-driver found with GPS jammer, faulty speedo
NSW Police has stern words for industry after it uncovered a drug-affected truck driver using a GPS jamming device and a modified speedometer during a compliance operation at Mount White.
Officers from the Traffic and Highway Patrol Command Traffic Task Force and heavy vehicle inspectors from the Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) inspected nine heavy vehicles at the weighbridge on May 3.
A prime mover being driven by a 54-year-old Campbelltown man was found to have a “modified speedometer which would have stopped the vehicle’s odometer” from working, and an oral fluid sample returned a positive indication for the presence of a prohibited drug.
The driver was suspended from driving for 24 hours as police await results from a second sample before determining further legal action, while inspectors were conducting inquiries into the Somersby-based company.
NSW police spokesperson Philip Brooks was critical of the “branded company operating in this condition”.
“It is disappointing to see this still happening on our roads,” he says.
“Our Traffic Taskforce Officers are trained to detect this sort of activity, and will move into fleets if necessary, to ensure the safety of other road users.”
“If Police can detect this sort of serious noncompliance, those involved in maintenance are obviously missing what can lead to significant prosecutions.”
Read about NSW Police’ stance on its compliance blitzes, here
“Single operators, and those involved in managing fleets, need to ensure that their trucks and trailers are safe and compliant, along with their drivers being fit and able to operate on our roads.”
“Sadly we have seen the cost of serious noncompliance, in the loss of life, which has had a significant impact on the businesses involved.”
It comes as NSW announced strict new drink-driving laws stipulating that anyone caught over the legal limit, even low-range drink-drivers, will lose their licence on the spot and receive a $561 fine under new penalties to be introduced on May 20.