Alocal magistrate has stated that consequences need to be explored for transport companies who fail to properly train their employees.


Last week three defendants faced the Mount Gambier Magistrates Court, presided over by Magistrate Koula Kossiavelos, for a total of six counts of recording false or misleading information in a work record between them.


All offences referred to the local truck drivers recording in their daily time sheets they were resting when they were detected working.


“It is really the employer that should be penalised because the employer is putting these people on the road with no training and it’s something that needs to be looked into,” Magistrate Kossiavelos said.


“You have got people who do not even speak English driving these very dangerous vehicles and we do not have training.


“We have to have drivers resting correctly otherwise if they are tired there is the risk of accidents on the road and with fatigue regulated heavy vehicles the accidents can be more serious.”


A National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) representative travelled from Melbourne to prosecute the offences in a rare occurrence for the local court.


“A false and misleading diary entry does have consequences particularly for the driver as well as the general public so there is a public safety (issue) albeit slightly less direct than the safety issue pertaining to the driver,” the NVHR representative said.


Each defendant was convicted, issued a fine of $1512 and ordered to pay $250 in prosecution costs.