Police target highway heavyweight

This month police are focusing on the safety of the highway heavyweights as part of a month long trans-Tasman operation involving the heavy vehicle transport sector.

The operation involves Police and road safety agencies from Australia and New Zealand, who will be carrying out various operations between May 18 and June 13.


Police are targeting trucks as part of an international operation.

They will be focusing on issues such as vehicle safety, fatigue, driver behaviour, speed compliance, alcohol and drug use.

New Zealand's contribution to Operation Austrans is Operation Twistlock, which will involve Police Commercial Vehicle Investigation Unit (CVIU) staff from across the country.

The operation is an extension of the normal work carried out by CVIU staff across the country every day.

About 70 CVIU staff, supported by vehicle safety officers from the NZ Transport Agency, Customs, Police field intelligence officers and motorway patrol staff, will saturate the Auckland area – which has more trucks, buses and taxis than the rest of New Zealand combined.

Ministry of Justice bailiffs will also be on hand to deal with fine warrants.

Staff will focus on major roading corridors where there is the greatest concentration of heavy vehicles flowing through.

"We know that the majority of transport operators and drivers take their responsibilities seriously, but there are a few who don't, and it is those we will be targeting," says Assistant Commissioner Road Policing Dave Cliff.

Dave says the Auckland operation will focus on trucks moving from Auckland's air and sea ports to ‘inland ports', where containers are opened and goods reloaded for distribution.

Trucks will be brought to compliance stations for a full inspection and mobile patrols will perform roadside inspections.

In addition, CVIU staff in other parts of the North Island and in the South Island will be running concurrent operations to ensure heavy vehicle safety compliance.

'These operations are not just about enforcement,” he says.

'They are also an excellent opportunity to engage with individual drivers and heavy vehicle companies about how they can improve the safety of their operations, which ultimately benefits everyone."

Because of their large mass, trucks tend to be over-represented in serious crashes.

Deaths from crashes involving trucks make up around 15% of the total road toll, while only about six per cent of the total distance travelled on NZ roads is travelled by trucks.

During Operation Austrans last year, Police stopped and checked a total 11740 heavy vehicles with 2520 infringements issued for a range of offences.

However, positives included no infringements issued for drugged or dangerous driving.

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8 comments

checks

Posted on 23-05-2015 11:27 | By dumbkof2

I suppose they will have a month long check on cars well somehow i dont think so


The stats say

Posted on 23-05-2015 15:55 | By Devils-advocate

Deaths from crashes involving trucks make up around 15% of the total road toll, while only about six per cent of the total distance travelled on NZ roads is travelled by trucks. I find this misleading.....how many of these 15% of fatal crashes are found to have been the fault of the truck driver? In the usual police fashion, however, they will only tell half the story.


Dont

Posted on 23-05-2015 18:18 | By Capt_Kaveman

Stop at Trucks Check Buses


trucks

Posted on 23-05-2015 19:47 | By dumbkof2

Most of the crashes involving trucks are caused by silly car drivers


Why trucks

Posted on 23-05-2015 20:06 | By Kenworthlogger

So if trucks are involved in 15% of fatal crashes does that mean that cars are involved in 85% of fatal accidents? Why not target cars then cause clearly they are more dangerous!!!


Capt_Kaveman

Posted on 24-05-2015 00:20 | By How about this view!

I would tend to agree with you on this. Anyone who has spoken with our fantastic bus drivers, as I have, would understand that there seems to be a general perception amongst them that the buses are only maintained to a level to get through the Certificate of fitness and no more. One of the budgetary considerations when a business is sold off, I guess!!


Kenworthlogger

Posted on 24-05-2015 10:52 | By Devils-advocate

Let's be generous and say that 30% of those fatal crashes involving trucks are caused by the truck driver.. That means that 5% of fatal crashes are caused by trucks and 95% not... I suspect the actual figure is much lower. Besides the fact we are subject to random roadside inspections, weighing and logbook checks anyway, so what's the real reason for the focus on trucks?


Who knows Devils

Posted on 24-05-2015 20:12 | By Kenworthlogger

Not sure why they are picking on trucks when if you watch any of the nz reality highway patrol type programs its always cars that are no rego no warrent unfit for the road oh and you can now drive it away like that with a sticker on the windscreen. The facts are trucks travel more accident free kilometers than cars do...


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