It's A Fair Cop - Though Truckies May Differ
Sydney Morning Herald
Friday July 12, 1996
The radar registers its speed as safe, but as the rig rumbles by the CB radio suddenly crackles to life: "Double ones northland near Tabletop." And in the unseen distance, truck drivers heed the warning and check their speedometers. The word is out: Highway patrol. Slow down.
Up and down the Hume Highway the movements of Senior Constable David Kennedy and partner Peter Turkington this Monday night shift are plotted by the CB radio network. No sooner had they turned on to the highway, shortly before 11 pm, than the first of the warning calls came through: "Double ones (police) mark up the highway."
After booking one truckie, who landed the second ticket of the night after a radar check found him to be travelling at 104km/h in a 90km/h zone, the CB radio relayed the latest police intelligence: "Just done a job on a big one," broke a distant voice.
In CB parlance, the police are known as "double ones" or "double bubbles" and "white pointers" if they are travelling in unmarked vehicles. The presence of speed cameras is noted by drivers who warn colleagues to "comb your hair".
Constables Kennedy and Turkington concede that the CB network makes if harder for police to catch those drivers deliberately flouting the law, but a highly visible police presence can be an effective deterrent against speeding, they say.
While the Hume Highway appears to have shrugged off its unfortunate label as Sesame Street, so called for the cowboy drivers that used to come out to play on the road between the "happy hour" times of midnight and 3 am, the trip from Liverpool to the border at night can still be "hairy", Inspector Richard Cleaver of Albury police concedes. This night, Kennedy and Turkington book five trucks and one coach, all for speeding offences of no more than 15 km/h over the limit.
One long-distance truck driver pulled over was issued his first ticket in 15 years.
At an Ampol diner, Constables Kennedy and Turkington stop for a coffee. Inside, drivers complain that Albury highway police are too officious and unwilling to give official warnings in extenuating circumstances.
Outside, a Roads and Traffic Authority inspector braved the chill. He usually pulls up 20 to 30 trucks a night to search for defects. Most, he says, pass the random roadworthiness checks.
On the road again, and the last truck driver to be caught speeding - 13 km/h over - was angered by the 90 km/h speed limit. "The laws are up to s---," said Mr Rod Wallace. "On a twin-lane highway you should be allowed to do 115 km/h." He explained the need to nudge the speed limit: "The police have got their job to do and I've got a schedule to meet."
© 1996 Sydney Morning Herald