Two Auckland companies operating services to Hawke's Bay are facing charges of making drivers work unsafe and excessive hours.
The charges against Singhs Couriers and Nath Brothers Ltd carry fines of up to $25,000 on some of the charges which were called before Judge Tony Adeane yesterday in the Napier District Court.
Singhs Couriers faces one charge of causing a driver to fail to comply with rest-time requirements, one of causing a driver to exceed maximum allowable work hours, and one of allowing a vehicle to be used when the driver's logbook contained false particulars.
Nath Brothers faces four charges, alleging it caused the driver to failing to comply with rest requirements, by an act of omission caused a driver to exceed maximum allowable work hours, and allowing and requiring a vehicle to be used with a logbook excluding material particulars.
The charges against Singhs Couriers will be called in the Napier District Court again on July 26, while the charges against Nath Brothers will be called again on September 4, when six charges will also be called against an Auckland driver charged with exceeding 70 hours driving for a week, exceeding 13 hours in one day, exceeding five-and-a-half hours without a break, failing to take a break of at least 10 hours between shifts, producing a log book without required details, and producing a logbook with multiple omissions.
