More than 150 heavy vehicles have been inspected during a five-day compliance operation following a fatal crash involving two trucks on the state’s Mid North Coast.
About midnight on Friday 26 July 2019, emergency services were called to the Pacific Highway at Nabiac, near Forster, following reports a garbage truck and a B-double travelling northbound had collided.
The garbage truck driver, a 38-year-old Coffs Harbour man, died at the scene. The second driver, a 62-year-old Coffs Harbour man, was taken to John Hunter Hospital in a stable condition.
Police are preparing a report for the Coroner.
Following the fatal crash, officers from the Traffic and Highway Patrol Command’s Traffic Task Force, working with officers from Manning Great Lakes and Mid North Coast Police Districts and Roads and Maritime Services inspectors, conducted a five-day heavy vehicle compliance inspection operation on the Pacific Highway at Jones Island, about 17km north-east of Taree.
During the operation, which ran from Monday 12 August 2019 to Friday 16 August 2019, 199 heavy vehicles were inspected. A total of 132 random drug tests were conducted, with one driver, a 42-year-old man, allegedly testing positive to methylamphetamine.
In total, 72 traffic infringement notices and defects were issued for tyres, number plate, oil leaks, and work diary offences as well as non-complaint electronic control modules (ECM).
Police issued seven Court Attendance Notices for fatigue breaches, recording false and misleading information in work diary, as well as one for mid-range PCA to a 36-year-old man. He is due to face court at a later date.
Of note, a garbage truck was allegedly detected travelling 116km/h in a 100km/h zone on the Pacific Highway at Four Mile just before 2pm on Wednesday 14 August 2019.
The vehicle was stopped and inspected with police issuing infringement notices for exceed speed and work diary offence to the driver, a 43-year-old man. He was also issued a defect notice for a non-compliant ECM.
