Quarter of all trucks tested in North Island police blitz fail brake test

Authorities tested the brakes of 58 vehicles and 15 of them were faulty. Photo / 123RF

By RNZ

The brakes on more than a quarter of trucks tested in a recent police operation on central North Island roads were found to be faulty.

Between 3-6 November, the police inspected 910 “heavy vehicles and trailers” at checkpoints on State Highway 5 between Napier and Taupō, State Highway One at Turangi and State Highway 3 at Te Kuiti.

Of those, 165 had defects that included not being up to certificate of fitness standards, road user charges compliance, speeding, logbook problems and insecure loading.

The police said some were easy-to-fix problems that could be spotted by daily “walk around” checks, like faulty lights, brakes and wheels needing attention.

Authorities tested the brakes of 58 vehicles and 15 of them - 26 percent - were faulty.

“Nobody wants a heavy motor vehicle, often weighing over 50000kg, coming towards you with defective brakes,” said Senior Sergeant Lex Soepnel, from the police commercial vehicle safety team.

The police were focused on preventing crashes and not “picking up the pieces” afterwards, he said.

“What we’re asking for is simple. We have rules in place to keep all road users safe and we’re asking heavy vehicle operators to meet those standards.”

The police issued 141 infringement notices after the operation.

“We need everyone to ensure that their vehicles are maintained to a safe and compliant standard, and that drivers are well rested and not fatigued,” said Soepnel.

- RNZ

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