Fred's Interstate Transport rejects claims it tampered with speed limiters, blaming 130km/h truck on “human error”
April 23, 2012
A target of the crackdown on trucking operators in NSW has defended itself against accusations it fiddled with speed limiters, blaming a speeding truck on “human error”.
Fred’s Interstate Transport was last month the subject of a NSW Police and Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) blitz after one of its trucks was allegedly detected at 130km/h on the Hume Highway.
NSW Police claimed at the time the speed limiter had been tampered with to allow the truck to exceed 100km/h – a charge Fred’s denies.
“Contrary to media reports, none of the company’s trucks has been found with tampered speed limiters. We do not tamper with speed limiters,” the company says in a statement.
“The community must be made aware that speed limiters are only effective on flat roads – they do not control vehicle speed on downhill descents. The cause of the speeding truck was human error. It had absolutely nothing to do with the speed limiter which was fully functioning at the time.
“This vehicle is the only vehicle in the company’s fleet that has been found speeding throughout this process. As a result of an independent inspection of the vehicle, it is clear that the speed limiter in this vehicle is not faulty nor was it tampered with.”
Authorities raided Fred’s and Damorange as part of Operation Discovery, looking over 92 trucks in total. Officers issued 22 speed limiter compliance notices in total, but NSW Police has not detailed how many notices were issued to each company.
Fred’s says it cooperated with authorities during an inspection of its fleet, adding that its vehicles are subjected to a “rigorous maintenance regime” by an accredited auditor to ensure compliance.
“Fred’s Transport has a long and proud safety history in the transport industry and the safety of all road users is our number one priority,” the company says.
“The company has and will continue to fully cooperate with authorities.”
The investigation into Fred’s and Damorange came on the back of blitzes against Lennons Transport Services and Scott’s of Mt Gambier.
Like Fred’s, Lennons and Scott’s have contested police allegations of speed tampering.
