Operation Logan Takes Aim at Speed Limiter Tampering

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Authorities are once again taking a stand against illegal practices in the NSW heavy vehicle industry during Operation Logan, this time taking aim at speed limiter tampering.

The issue of speed limiter tampering within the industry is a cause for serious concern because authorities say, speeding is the biggest killer on Australian roads.

NSW Police and the Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) conducted the joint operation recently and this year targeted the trucks travelling on the states northern major highways.

Operation Logan as it was dubbed, ran from April1st to the 3rd, conducting inspections to ensure that vehicles were compliant.

According to reports on the NSW Police website, authorities inspected 1000 trucks and trailers during the 3 day blitz and 88 defect notices were issued. The most common issues revolved around faulty brakes, tyres, suspension and ancillary equipment.

Speed limiters were also checked and of the 80 inspected, 10 failed the standard tests, raising concerns about tampering going on in the industry. According to the Acting Assistant Commissioner, Stuart Smith, despite the joint heavy vehicle taskforce’s efforts, heavy vehicle operators continued to tamper with speed limiters.

He said this was especially “irresponsible” of these drivers because speeding is the number one leading cause of fatal crashes on NSW roads.

Having identified at least 10 offending vehicles, Smith says police and RMS will continue to work together to audit the fleets identified with faulty or defective speed limiters.

The Director of Safety and Compliance, Peter Wells said of the operation that while most operators were trying to stay on the right side of the law, there were still rogue operators who were operating outside of it, with speed limiter tampering one of their practices.

He reminded those within the industry that authorities will be pressing chain of responsibility charges against those involved with such illegal actions. Companies whose business practices and lack of preventative safety measures led to dangerous practices should be aware that they are on the RMS and police’ radars.

Part of Operation Logan also involved performing random drug tests on drivers. Having tested 152 drivers, only seven were found with drugs in their system and all drivers who were randomly issued breathalyser tests passed, which is a positive sign.

Waging War of Speed Limiter Tampering

Speed limiters are mandatory devices all over Oz which prohibits a heavy vehicle from travelling over 100km/h. Not only do they save lives but heavy vehicle operators are legally obligated to have them.

Last year the NSW authorities had announced that they would be waging way on rogue operators and in particular those who tamper with speed limiters. Investigations have discovered that the situation is actually a lot worse than originally thought with truck drivers not the only ones to blame for tampering with speed limiters.

With offences ranging from truckies simply interfering with the vehicles pulse wheel to installation of highly technical electronic devices aimed at manipulating the speed limiter. One device detected was a generator with the ability to over-ride the speed sensor found in the cabin.

Last year police identified bootlegging software on laptops in a heavy vehicle which dialled into the engine management system of the vehicle and rewire d the limiter. And one of the biggest issues police find is that as soon as these threats are identified, rogue operators are finding new inventive ways of tampering, making it difficult for police to stay on top of the issue – that is why operations such as Operation Logan are so important.

The internet is also adding to the problem because truckies are buying these systems online, despite being illegal to tamper with speed limiters owning the software is legal.

Last year one in four trucks pulled over during a police operation in April had an illegally modified speed limiter, so the results of this Operation Logan was slightly more positive, but alot still needs to be done to completely eradicate it from the road freight industry.

Authorities have warned greedy operators that speed limiter tampering is illegal and will not be tolerated. While operators are trying to gain a commercial advantage, if they are caught by authorities they stand to lose a lot more than they would gain from tampering with truck’s speed limiters.

Authorities have also warned that no Chain of Responsibility breaches will be tolerated anywhere in NSW, which makes COR training even more important. Drivers have in the past blamed their speeding ways on the unrealistic deadlines placed on them by the big chains like Woolworths and Coles but everyone in the supply chain, including the consignor and consignee has a role to play in chain of responsibility and may need to undergo COR training. To learn more visit our homepage.

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