22 trucks ordered off road
Safety audits reveal concerning number of failures
Almost 20 per cent of trucks taking containers from Northport to Auckland have failed safety checks — 22 have been taken off the road — and police are warning they will take action against those not up to scratch.
Truckies picking up containers from Northport at Marsden Pt to take to Auckland are urged to ensure their trucks are safe and meet all standards.
Up to 800 trucks are hauling Christmas freight for Auckland retailers after 1340 containers were offloaded from Constantinos P at Northport this month. Congestion at Ports of Auckland meant it was too busy to take the ship.
But police are urging the trucking industry to ensure heavy vehicles are up to scratch as an ongoing safety operation in Northland continues to find faults.
The police Commercial Vehicle Safety Team, Waka Kotahi and WorkSafehave been monitoring trucks since the day containers started moving more than a week ago.
As of yesterday, 1201 heavy vehicles had been stopped and 222 failed their inspections — a fail rate of around 1 in 5..
Twenty-two have been ordered off the road.
Senior Sergeant Mike Flatt, team leader for the Commercial Vehicle Safety Team, said the continued trend of faults being identified is disappointing.
“In one case we identified seven faults on a single truck that was stopped on State Highway 1.
Two other trucks had four faults each.
“The largest percentage of faults being identified are still related to lighting and wheels and brakes, which remains of concern to us,” he said.
Police have now issued 156 infringement notices and 56 written warnings.
“While our staff don’t want to be handing out infringement notices, our main priority remains ensuring that all road users, including the truck drivers themselves, are safe and get to their destinations safely.”
Waka Kotahi senior manager safer commercial transport Brett Aldridge reinforced police concerns.
“What we are finding roadside is a real concern and should serve as a stark warning to the trucking industry that it must comply with safety standards,” he said.
“We will be following up with operators to ensure they have the right systems and processes in place so that their fleets are well maintained and safe.
“Where we find safety issues, we will not hesitate to take action.”
Chief executive of the Road Transport Forum Nick Leggett said the trucking industry fully supported police in its job of keeping people safe on the road.
“Our view is the police checks are a good reminder to trucking operators and drivers to stay on top of maintenance, especially in the peak season when roads are busy.”