SARTA reminds truck drivers to follow the rules on major freight routes
The South Australian Road Transport Association (SARTA) has responded to a truck driver being reported for dangerous driving on South Australian roads this week.
SA Police issued the report following an investigation into incidents at Tintinara in February, where a member of the public witnessed a Mercedes prime mover towing a B-Double combination driving dangerously.
According to the report, the witness saw the prime mover overtake a car on the Dukes Highway contrary to double barrier lines marked at that location.
When the truck driver returned to the correct side of the road, the witness had to brake to avoid the rear of the combination clipping the front of their car.
Following the incidents on February 16, dash camera footage was supplied to investigators and resulted in the Heavy Vehicle Enforcement Unit reporting a 36-year-old man from Prospect for driving in a dangerous manner, where he will be summonsed to appear in court on a later date.
SARTA chief executive Steve Shearer says although he doesn’t know the details of the incident, all truck drivers should be careful on the road.
“Truck drivers should be driving the same as anyone on the road,” Shearer says.
“If you overtake you have to have the room to do it, and you must move well past before you move back in.”
Despite this incident, Shearer says the majority of truck drivers follow the rules and drive appropriately on Australian roads.
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“I would say 99.9 per cent of truck drivers do all of that correctly,” Shearer says.
“But professional truck drivers are the ones who are out there on the road and they should be getting it right by following the rules.”
The SARTA chief executive says it’s a good reminder for truck drivers to follow the road rules and remain safe when operating heavy vehicle combinations.