The month of May was dedicated to the operation Austrans which stopped truckies across Australia in a coordinated effort to stamp out offenders. The aftermath of the operation revealed 1300 offences in South Australia alone, with incidents ranging from drug use to speed limiter tampering.

Adelaidenow.com.au reported on the operations results:

A POLICE operation targeting truck drivers has uncovered more than 1300 offences in South Australia, including drug use and tampering with speed limiters.

A police operation aimed at truck drivers revealed over 1300 offences in South Australia such as drug use and speed limiter tampering.

Police are now trying to determine whether trucking companies were privy to the offences after over 2300 truckers were stopped last month.

Traffic Support Branch Inspector Andrew Thiele made it clear that despite these discoveries, the majority of operators were respectful towards the law.  Thiele said the focus is going to shifted towards the small demographic of truckers who continue to disobey and disregard the law.

Of the 2374 trucks that were stopped randomly, 97 of the drivers were reported for speeding or driving recklessly.25 other individuals were discovered to be in possession of drugs while 11 were driving while disqualified.

Police have also reportedly defected 497 vehicles. Thiele said they will be working in conjunction with interstate colleagues to try and solve this national problem.

Source: https://www.adelaidenow.com.au

With the main problems being reported as drug driving, speeding and fatigue, each of these issues needs to be addressed individually to determine their causes and how to overcome them.

Drug Driving

With 1 in 11 truckies driving under the influence of illicit drugs, it is obvious that drug taking is very common in the trucking industry. But what is the route of the issue? Drivers use amphetamines to stay awake to keep driving and use cannabis to unwind before sleeping, a cycle that starts up again when they jump in the truck and want to drive long hours.

By eliminating the unrealistic deadlines on truck drivers and holding suppliers, manufacturers and others in the transport chain responsible for their pressure on drivers perhaps we can reduce the amount of drivers that drug drive in order to increase the hours they spend on the road and stop them from putting other road user’s lives at risk in the process.

Speeding

Speed is undoubtedly the biggest killer on our roads. Truck limiters are there for a reason and tampering with them will result in a fine or worse, a crash. Trucks, due to the mass and size, do not have the ability to brake as fast as ordinary light vehicles do in an emergency situation which is why crashes and roll overs result. Many lives have been claimed in this way.

Those manufacturers, suppliers or retailers that put unrealistic demands on drivers, causing them to speed will also be held accountable for their actions.

While reducing speed can cut fuel usage and cost and lower greenhouse gas emissions the immediate benefit is the reduction in speed induced crashes that seem to be so prevalent on our roads.

A possible solution to the problem of speeding may be the introduction of more speed cameras, which authorities hope will deter motorists from exceeding speed limits along major highways. It is hoped that cameras will serve as a warning to truckies (and other drivers) that they are being watched and will be held liable for the consequences of their actions.

Fatigue

Even though many drivers try to fight through it, being tired on the road is extremely dangerous. The consequences of fatigued driving are multiplied when commercial truck drivers stay behind the wheel when they should instead be taking a break. Trucks will cause even more damage and injury than ordinary vehicles so truck drivers have to exercise even more care. Employers and drivers should ensure they comply with the driving hours requirements in road transport legislation.

Because trucks can cause such damage and serious crashes, drivers need to be especially alert for vehicles in other lanes or pedestrians that may step in front of their trucks. Drivers need to be able to respond instantly on the road, they need fast reflexes and fatigue reduces their concentration and ability to act quickly on the road. Roll-overs are another hazard of fatigue as drivers fall asleep at the wheel causing the truck to capsize. The size of trucks means that they cause enormous amounts of damage, costs and inconvenience from road closures etc. when an incident occurs.