Road train driver who tested positive for drugs fined $2000, allowed to keep his licence

A TRUCK driver who tested positive for cannabis while behind the wheel of his 30-tonne road train on Stuart Highway in Adelaide River has been allowed to keep his licence.

Road train driver Lloyd Kevin Daniels, 28, pleaded guilty in the Darwin Local Court to drug-driving and possessing cannabis and a brass weed pipe. Picture: APPEA

A TRUCK driver who tested positive for cannabis while behind the wheel of his 30-tonne road train on Stuart Highway in Adelaide River has been allowed to keep his licence.

Lloyd Kevin Daniels, 28, pleaded guilty in the Darwin Local Court to drug-driving and possessing cannabis and a brass weed pipe after he was pulled over for a random drug test on May 14.

Prosecutor Luke McLaughlin said Daniels told police he had last smoked about 9pm the previous evening and decided to drive anyway as “he didn’t think he would get caught”.

Daniels’ lawyer, Harriet Murphy, said there was no mandatory disqualification period for a first drug-driving offence and her client had never been to court before and needed to keep his job to provide for his two young children.

“This is certainly a big wake-up call for him given that he knows he will lose his job and his livelihood if he loses his licence,” she said.

“He is very aware that should your honour not disqualify him this time he would be disqualified if he returns to court for any sort of drink-driving, drug-driving.”

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Judge Greg Cavanagh suggested that the community might be “outraged” if a road train driver “with 30 tonnes of cargo going down Stuart Highway drug affected” got off lightly.

But Ms Murphy said Daniels was not driving dangerously at the time and he denied he was under the influence of the drug he’d smoked the night before.

“It is quite often the case that people are not directly under the influence of drugs when they’re operating a vehicle when they come before the court for drug-driving,” she said.

“This is one of those incidences where (he smoked) the night before but it stayed in his system.”

In handing Daniels a $2000 fine, Mr Cavanagh said Ms Murphy’s “eloquent” submissions had persuaded him that “on balance, a disqualification in this case is not necessary”.

“There was no suggestion there was anything untoward with his driving, he was pulled over on a random basis,” he said.

“He’s got no prior record whatsoever, he’s got a livelihood which sees him support his family and I think the matters can be denounced by a heavy fine.”

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Daniels was convicted on all counts and ordered to pay three $150 victims assistance levies.