Companies help truckies dodge South Eastern Freeway fines

HUNDREDS of truckies caught speeding down the SE Freeway have dodged demerit points and fines because the companies that own the trucks failed to provide drivers’ details to police.

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HUNDREDS of truckies caught speeding down the South Eastern Freeway into Adelaide have dodged demerit points and fines because the companies that own the trucks failed to provide the drivers’ details to police.

This includes one truckie — caught on camera at 47km/h above the speed limit — who would have lost his licence if identified, prompting calls for a review of the penalties paid by firms for failing to identify drivers.

The freeway downtrack speed limit was reduced for heavy vehicles after several fatal crashes involving trucks.

But latest figures show that since December 2013, fixed traffic cameras have caught more than 4400 trucks speeding at up to 108km/h on the stretch of freeway where a 60km/h limit applies to heavy vehicles.

In more than 1160 cases — or more than a quarter of offences — the company did not identify the driver to police.

If a company does not nominate the driver, it has to pay an addition $300 “corporate’’ penalty in addition to the traffic fine.

This extra penalty has generated more than $375,000 in bonus revenue for the State Government on this stretch of freeway from unidentified truckies alone, according to police figures.

The RAA said it was surprised at the high rate of speeding truckies dodging demerit points given the size of the vehicles they were responsible for and the associated safety risks.

“It’s very important to ensure drivers are operating safely — especially on this stretch of the freeway which has an appalling record of crashes,’’ RAA road safety manager Charles Mountain said.

“But in a situation when a driver is at the point where accumulating any more demerit points would see a loss of licence, there would be an incentive for the driver to not come forward.’’

Mr Mountain said the $300 “corporate’’ levy was introduced to ensure organisations held drivers accountable for their behaviour on the roads.

The amount of revenue brought in by speeding fines.

However, given the high rate of truck drivers not being identified, Mr Mountain said the existing penalty was “something the government could review’’ in order to ensure drivers were held accountable.

South Australian Road Transport Association executive director Steve Shearer said the number of trucks caught speeding was not significant given that about 600,000 trucks a year used this part of the freeway.

However, he said number of speeding truckies that were not identified was “highly surprising’’.

“All the companies I deal with — small medium or large — know who they use in the truck on that day,’’ he said.

“It would be a worry to us that there’s a driver doing 107km/h in a 60km/h zone because it’s grossly irresponsible.’’

Motor Accident Commission spokesman Michael Cornish said speeding trucks were particularly dangerous because when they “collide at speed, the results can be tragic”.

“Heavy vehicle drivers and other motorists alike need to stop speeding on the freeway, stick to the speed limits and drive to the conditions of the road,” he said.

The freeway downhill speed limit was reduced for heavy vehicles after several horrific crashes involving trucks near the end of the freeway into Adelaide.

Police conduct checks on heavy vehicles on the South Eastern Freeway. Pic: Tom Huntley

The speed limit was first reduced by the State Government for big rigs with five or more axels in 2011 after two fatal accidents involving heavy vehicles on the freeway.

The 60km/h limit was then extended in September 2014 to include all vehicles with a gross vehicle mass over 4.5 tonnes.

The change was in response to the deaths of Thomas Spiess, 56, and Jacqueline Byrne, 41, who died after a sewage truck slammed into three cars at the junction of the freeway and Cross Rd.

The number of trucks caught breaking the speed limit would have been higher but for the recent malfunction of the Crafers fixed camera for seven months.

The camera was out of action between mid September 2015 and mid April this year due to equipment damage, police said.

Road Safety Minister Peter Malinauskas said the higher fines for companies were introduced as an incentive to identify drivers.

“Legislation is designed to hold individual drivers to account,” he said.

“However, there are circumstances when this is not practical because of vehicles being registered to a corporate entities.

“For this reason, higher fines are in place as an incentive for companies to disclose the name of the driver.”

Mr Malinauskas said the number of speeding truck drivers was a concern.

“I am concerned with any level of speeding on the South Eastern Freeway, but even more so when speeding offences involve truck drivers,” he said.

“Recent accidents on the down track of the freeway have shown us all too well the tragic consequences of truck drivers loosing control of their vehicles.”