The freight industry is on notice after a road operation found numerous truck drivers without the correct border passes from hotspot areas. 

Acting Premier Steven Miles says keeping freight moving has been critical to livelihoods and industry.

“It appears as though the compliance with the arrangements that were put in place to allow freight to continue has lapsed somewhat,” he said.

“Police, working with the heavy vehicle regulator and the trucking association and the Department of Transport and Main Roads has been intercepting vehicles coming from other states, particularly those states where we have hotspots, Victoria and NSW.

“Unfortunately many of the trucks that they intercepted, the drivers had no appropriate passes, hadn’t been recently tested, some had even travelled from those hotspots.”

Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said during a recent operation, 226 heavy vehicles were intercepted, 83 without the correct border pass.

“We found 29 had come out of a hotspot without the appropriate pass.”

Most were out of the NSW hotspot areas.

Thirteen were issued with traffic infringements, 7 were issued with penalty infringement notices in relation to COVID-19 breaches.

“What’s disappointing about this, once we have done our risk assessment of these people, the risk was reasonably low,” he said.

“Only one person had been placed into hotel quarantine, that particular driver had falsified records, was not cooperative with out investigation …. that person was placed in hotel quarantine.”

He said it was critical they had the correct paperwork, and the onus is on the driver.

Chief Health Officer Dr Jeanette Young says there was a requirement within the freight industry to get tested every 7 days, which lapsed when there were no outbreaks.

Image: Nine News