Yet another incident involving a speeding truck driver has occurred along the highway at Bookham. This incident was made worse because the driver was in possession of a stash of narcotics.  To add fuel to the fire, the number plate of the vehicle was also tampered with in an attempt to obscure the letters and evade detection. Truck drivers like this who blatantly ignore the rules will face the full arm of the law as this report by Fullyloaded.com.au explains: A truck driver pulled over on the Hume Highway after being clocked travelling 131km/h will front court on drug charges after police allege they found a stash of amphetamines. NSW Police stationed at Goulburn detected the truck about 5am today on the highway at Bookham travelling 31km/h over the speed limit. Officers noticed the rig’s number plate was covered in yellow tape in what looked like an attempt to obscure the letters and numbers to avoid detection. “A search of the vehicle was also conducted and police will allege that they discovered a quantity of a drug believed to be amphetamine,” a statement from NSW Police says. The 42-year-old male truck driver from Victoria will face Yass Local Court on July 3 charged with possessing a prohibited drug. He was also issued with infringement notices for exceeding the speed limit by 20km/h and using a vehicle with an altered number plate. NSW Police Superintendent Stuart Smith says the driver was extremely reckless. “I am shocked and disappointed to think that a driver can act so irresponsibly in any vehicle, but to commit these alleged offences in a heavy vehicle is beyond belief,” he says. “The potential dangers that a truck of this size could cause to the driver and other road users whilst speeding would be catastrophic.” Source: https://www.fullyloaded.com.au/industry-news/1206/cut-truck-speed-limits-in-inner-west-hartland. Authorities have of late compared speeding to drink driving and hope that speeding will become as equally socially unacceptable, especially so amongst the truckie community. Those manufacturers, suppliers or retailers that put unrealistic demands on drivers, causing them to speed will also be held accountable for their actions. Deadlines for truckies are necessary but they need to be fair. While reducing speed can cut fuel usage and cost and lower greenhouse gas emissions the immediate benefit is the reduction in speed induced crashes that seem to be so prevalent on our roads recently. While fatigue can also play a big role in truck rollovers and crashes, speeding has emerged as the main cause of crashes involving trucks and heavy vehicles especially along highways. Incidents such as this one have prompted the Greens MP Colleen Hartland and other politicians to call for stricter measures to be taken in dealing with these criminals. According to Hartland the critical intersection at Footscray needs to have the speed limit lowered to avoid another incident such as the one that resulted in the rollover of a semi trailer recently. The area is a residential one but it is being increasingly used by truckies especially during the night which is why the speed limit is too high. Many of these residential area streets have schools, kindergartens and many pedestrians so road safety is a bug concern. Fullyloaded.com.au has more: Victorian Greens MP Colleen Hartland wants the speed limit at a critical intersection in Footscray reduced following a rollover of a semi-trailer. The truck rolled late last night, bringing down power lines at the Moore Street and Ballarat Road intersection. Hartland wants the speed limit to be cut to 50km/h. “Moore Street is a residential area but is increasingly becoming a truck highway,” Hartland says. “In night-time hours residents have a truck hurtling past their door nearly every minute and in day time hours a truck almost every 20 seconds.” Hartland says residents have been raising concerns for years about the growing number of trucks in the inner west. She has called on past and present governments to introduce a night time curfew and reduce the speed limit. “These safety concerns are not limited to Moore Street. More than 21,000 trucks drive on inner west residential streets every single day, creating serious safety concerns. Many of these streets also have schools, kindergartens and child care centres on them,” Hartland says. Source: https://www.fullyloaded.com.au/industry-news/1206/cut-truck-speed-limits-in-inner-west-hartland.