Freeway: Driver of truck that ran out of fuel, causing huge delays, allegedly tested positive to meth

The driver of a truck that ran out of fuel on the South-Eastern Freeway this morning during rush hour — causing huge delays — has tested positive to meth, police say.

• OPINION: If 30cm of truck can cause this, imagine a bushfire
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The truck driver responsible for causing traffic delays of more than three hours this morning on the South-Eastern Freeway has allegedly tested positive for meth.

The truck ran out of fuel near the Bridgewater exit on the downtrack just after 7.30am, backing traffic all the way up to Mt Barker.

Police say the Victorian truck driver tested positive to methamphetamine and they allegedly found an ice pipe in the truck.

The driver had managed to half-pull into the emergency lane, but the trailer was still blocking one lane of the freeway, posing a hazard to other motorists.

The driver was issued with a direction not to drive for 24 hours and a service van was requested with fuel and another driver.

The backlog of cars extended to Mt Barker at the height of the delay. Picture: Sarah Reed

Despite the truck being refuelled several times, technicians have not been able to start the engine.

At 11.30am slow-moving traffic was still backed up by about 1km behind the truck.

It came on a day of severe fire danger in the Adelaide Hills and across the state.

The Advertiser employee Lynton Grace, who was commuting to work, said the truck was almost completely in the emergency lane, just jutting out into left-hand lane.

A police car was stationed next to the truck and traffic merged into the right-hand lane around it, he said.

“All of that is being caused by maybe 30cm of a truck. That’s what’s incredible. There’s a lot of cars driving into the right-hand emergency lane and taking U-turns — which you’re not supposed to do.”

The traffic is banked up on the South-Eastern Freeway, even after the truck was moved all the way off the road. Picture: Sarah Reed

Traffic is flowing freely but slowly and speed restrictions still apply in the area. Police thanked motorists for patience.

Meanwhile, in other traffic news the Eyre Highway is closed after a fuel tanker rolled over near Kimba and caught fire this morning.

The fuel tanker crash happened just after 7am on the Eyre Hwy at Kelly about 7km east of Kimba, where smoke was visible from the township.

The driver, luckily, escaped without injury.