Road train driver caught behind the wheel high on meth loses bid to stay on the road

A TRUCK driver busted behind the wheel of a triple trailer road train while high on meth to relieve ‘his ‘boredom’ has lost a bid to keep his licence.

A truck driver busted behind the wheel of a triple trailer road train while high on meth to relieve his ‘boredom’ has lost a bid to keep his licence. Picture: Michael Franchi

A TRUCK driver busted behind the wheel of a triple trailer road train while high on meth to relieve his “boredom” has lost a bid to keep his licence.

Lindsay John Leslie Taylor, 30, pleaded guilty in the Darwin Local Court to drug-driving and possessing methamphetamine after he was pulled over on May 14.

Prosecutor Luke McLaughlin told the court Taylor was driving the road train on the Stuart Hwy when he was pulled over by police at about 11.20am and tested positive for meth.

Police also found a small quantity of the drug in the vehicle and when asked why he was driving high, Taylor said “to take the boredom out of it I suppose”.

His lawyer, Shane McMaster, said Taylor had made full admissions, co-operated with police and had “learnt a valuable lesson”.

“He does readily admit, your honour, to his credit, that over the years as a truck driver on and off he has been using it, this is, fortunately, the first time he’s come a cropper,” he said.

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In arguing for his client to keep his licence, Mr McMaster said it was “crucial” for his work running his own mechanic business.

“What he’s asking for is this one chance, he really has learnt his lesson, pulled his head in and he won’t be doing it again,” he said.

Judge Alan Woodcock said while driving trucks was a gruelling job, “we can’t have people operating heavy machinery while high on methamphetamine”.

But Mr McMaster said Taylor wasn’t driving dangerously and his inevitable conviction would act as “de facto suspended sentence in perpetuity”, which was punishment enough.

“For a man with an unblemished record, that is a significant penalty and of course, a constant reminder to him to make sure he maintains himself on the straight and narrow,” he said.

In the end, Mr Woodcock ruled he had no choice but to ban Taylor from the road for six months.

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“You’re now an entrepreneur doing well and I very much don’t want to have to take your licence but it seems to me I must,” he said.

“Operating a road train under the direct effect of methamphetamine is just so incredibly dangerous so, I’m sorry about this but there’s no way I could not take your licence in all conscience.”

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