Latest news with #truckspill
Daily Mail
17-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Major update after truckie brought chaos to a busy highway and left 300 vehicles with punctured tyres
A driver has been charged after an estimated 840kg of metal shards came loose from his truck, damaging hundreds of vehicles on a busy highway. About 25km of the M1 Motorway, in NSW, was closed on May 2 after a truck carrying metal debris spilled its contents between Wyong Road and Mount White on the Central Coast. NSW Police said the tyres of more than 300 vehicles had been damaged following the early-morning spill. Commuters experienced major delays, with the arterial roadway only being re-opened to traffic about 10 hours later. Officers spoke with the 46-year-old driver of the heavy vehicle tipper about the matter at the time. On Saturday, he was served with a future court attendance notice for 'drive heavy vehicle not comply loading requirements-severe'. Police allege the secondary locking handles on the trailer were not properly engaged, allowing the debris to spill along the busy stretch of road. NJ Ashton, a trucking company based in Marulan, NSW, operated the vehicle. On the day of the incident, general manager Daniel Falconer said the driver was 'devastated and profoundly apologetic - as are we'. 'We'd like to thank all motorists, and anyone else impacted in some way, for their patience today,' Mr Falconer said. Earlier this month, Mr Falconer told Daily Mail Australia the driver, who had not yet been back on the road, was left in disbelief following the incident. He said the driver was only made aware of the spillage after another road user waved him down, claiming the truck had left a trail of sparks behind it. 'He pulled in a little bit off the road, went and checked his back tailgate and noticed that it was a little bit open and that shards could come out,' Mr Falconer said. 'This guy has been doing the exact same run for three-and-a-half months. The exact same run... and this one day it just turned into a nightmare.' Despite the massive scale of the incident, Mr Falconer said it could have gone 'a lot worse' if more of the truck's 24-tonne load had spilled free. No one was reported injured following the incident. The truck driver is due to appear at Hornsby Local Court on Thursday July 10.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Yahoo
Major development after traffic chaos
The driver of a truck which spilled hundreds of kilos of metal fragments onto the Pacific Motorway on the Central Coast, damaging hundreds of vehicles, will face court later this year after being charged by police. Traffic was brought to a standstill on the Pacific Motorway on May 2 after a truck spilled 840kg of metal pieces across a 30km stretch from Ourimbah to Mount White at about 5am. It was estimated that 300 cars had their tyres punctured as they ran over the tiny pieces of metal, closing the southbound lanes of the highway. It took 10 hours to re-open the highway - prompting some people to abandon their cars - as a massive clean up effort got underway to remove pieces of finely ground steel from the road. There were no reports of injuries and at the time police said it was lucky the incident did not result in a serious accident. At the time, police spoke with the driver of a heavy vehicle tipper which was towing a trailer. On Saturday, the 46-year-old driver was given a court attendance notice after being charged with driving a heavy vehicle not complying with loading requirements. The man is due to appear in Hornsby Local Court on July 10. In a statement earlier this month, trucking company NJ Ashton apologised for the incident. 'We'd like to thank all motorists, and anyone else impacted in some way, for their patience today. The driver is devastated and profoundly apologetic — as are we,' the company said in a statement.
News.com.au
17-05-2025
- News.com.au
Major development after 840kg metal spill which caused traffic chaos
The driver of a truck which spilled hundreds of kilos of metal fragments onto the Pacific Motorway on the Central Coast, damaging hundreds of vehicles, will face court later this year after being charged by police. Traffic was brought to a standstill on the Pacific Motorway on May 2 after a truck spilled 840kg of metal pieces across a 30km stretch from Ourimbah to Mount White at about 5am. It was estimated that 300 cars had their tyres punctured as they ran over the tiny pieces of metal, closing the southbound lanes of the highway. It took 10 hours to re-open the highway - prompting some people to abandon their cars - as a massive clean up effort got underway to remove pieces of finely ground steel from the road. There were no reports of injuries and at the time police said it was lucky the incident did not result in a serious accident. At the time, police spoke with the driver of a heavy vehicle tipper which was towing a trailer. On Saturday, the 46-year-old driver was given a court attendance notice after being charged with driving a heavy vehicle not complying with loading requirements. The man is due to appear in Hornsby Local Court on July 10. In a statement earlier this month, trucking company NJ Ashton apologised for the incident. 'We'd like to thank all motorists, and anyone else impacted in some way, for their patience today. The driver is devastated and profoundly apologetic — as are we,' the company said in a statement.
