04.55 am, Friday May 25 2012

Rogue truck probe deepens

20:06 AEDT Thu Feb 23 2012
By Vincent Morello, Police Reporter
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Rogue trucking firms that tamper with speed limiters have been warned they face prosecution as NSW police investigate one operator in relation to a triple road fatality.

All but four of 29 trucks registered to Lennons Transport Services in Sydney have now been found, seized and are being examined.

Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) and NSW Police launched Operation Marshall following allegations that a Lennons B-double involved in a fatal collision south of Sydney on January 24 had a speed limiter that had been tampered with.

One Lennons truck located since Wednesday allegedly contained a mobile phone whose last text message was "don't come back to the depot".

Two trucks were intercepted by police and the Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) on the Hume Highway in the NSW Southern Highlands on Thursday morning.

One was pulled over with the help of Polair after it failed to stop at a heavy-vehicle checking station.

Another truck was found at a yard at Wetherill Park, in Sydney's west.

Traffic and highway patrol commander John Hartley said tampering with speed limiters to exceed the 100km/h maximum was widespread.

"We need to make sure that these rogue operators, these rogue mechanics, these rogue drivers, are removed from our road network," Assistant Commissioner Hartley told reporters on Thursday.

In September 2008, Zaens Pty Ltd, trading as Lennons, was convicted of 14 mass offences, or overloading, and fined $8500.

In September 2007, Mireau Pty Ltd was convicted for dimension offences, fined $5000 and ordered to fit equipment to comply with dimension requirements.

This order equated to $5000 per truck for a total of 20 vehicles.

In early 2007, Maraline Pty Ltd was convicted of "mass offences".

It was fined $10,400 and ordered to fit onboard weighing devices to monitor the weight of the vehicle.

In each of the convictions, the companies were placed under supervisory intervention orders for one year.

In the January 24 tragedy, Calvyn Logan, 59, and his elderly parents Donald and Patricia Logan, in their 80s, were crushed in a head-on crash with a Lennons B-double truck and died at the scene.

Police charged driver Vincent George, 33, with three counts of dangerous driving occasioning death.

RMS regulatory services director, Peter Wells, said anyone involved in tampering with vehicles, breaching transport regulations or offering cash incentives to meet unreasonable deadlines faced prosecution.

"We believe there are examples of that happening now," Mr Wells told reporters on Thursday.

He again declined to comment if the RMS had been investigating Lennons prior to the fatal crash.

Eight of the 25 Lennons trucks still undergoing inspections had allegedly been tampered with to extend their maximum speed.

On Wednesday, officers converged on the company's headquarters at Enfield, in Sydney's inner west, where police allegedly located doctored logbooks and many devices used to manipulate speed limits.

One driver was found with cannabis in his possession and another had exceeded fatigue restrictions by driving 17 hours in one day.

Police located another Lennons truck abandoned on a roadside in Victoria and the driver's logbook in a nearby rubbish bin.

On Friday, the driver of a South Penrith Sand and Soil truck that hit four cyclists on the M4 at Orchard Hills in 2010 will appear in Penrith Local Court charged with dangerous driving occasioning death.

Another driver from the same company will appear in the same court on April 20 charged with a number of offences over a fatal collision with a vehicle that had stopped in the breakdown lane of the M7 at Quakers Hill.

 

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