Police are urging heavy vehicle drivers to plan their trip and know their load heights following a spate of incidents involving over-height trucks attempting to use tunnels across Sydney.
In recent weeks, the NSW Police Force, Transport for NSW and the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator have responded to numerous incidents involving over height trucks attempting to travel through Sydney’s tunnel network.
These incidents have resulted in significant traffic delays impacting hundreds of thousands of motorists.
Additional officers from Traffic and Highway Patrol Command’s Traffic Operations Group have since been deployed daily to conduct compliance operations and provide rapid response with guidance from the Transport Management Centre.
Further, police will continue to work closely with the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator to enforce heavy vehicle laws.
Traffic and Highway Patrol Command’s Superintendent Paul Carrett said heavy vehicle operators, particularly those carrying over-height loads, needed to carefully plan their trips.
“Not only are there significant penalties that apply, but these types of incidents can also cause significant delays to other road users,” Supt Carrett said.
“Those involved in moving oversize or over-mass freight need to be doing more to ensure that the integrity of their load is appropriate for our roads.
“Every heavy vehicle driver needs to be aware of their obligations, which includes knowing what routes they can and cannot travel when transporting particular loads or goods.
“There’s no excuse for this type of reckless behaviour and significant financial penalties apply for non-compliance, as well as potential licence and registration suspensions.”
The penalty for non-compliance with dimension requirements under the Road Transport Act 2013 increased to $5500 today (Friday 9 December 2022). The offence now also incurs 12 demerit points.
Information relating to over-height, overweight and overloaded heavy vehicles can be made confidentially to Heavy Vehicle Confidential Reporting Line (HVCRL) 1800 931 785.
