Truckie beats defect notice by defying the cops

Melbourne trucker Donny Biddle takes pride in how well he maintains his Sterling tipper, which has given him years of trouble-free miles without ever attracting the attention of the authorities.

So when a highway patrol officer pulled him over on the Eastern Freeway earlier this month and wrote him a major defect notice for not having a cargo cover and an alleged engine oil leak in either way, he saw red.

Upon returning home, he immediately took 40 date-stamped photos of the engine, from every angle imaginable to prove his point.

“None of the photos show oil anywhere,” says Biddle, 57.

It was only when Biddle rejected that evidence, demanding that police also provide him with a copy of the body camera video of the incident that he said the entries were finally expunged.

But by that stage he had been off the road for more than a week and had lost between $12,000 and $15,000 in earnings for installing pools.

Biddle has come forward with her story in hopes that her experience will help others in a similar bind.

“Question their skill because they’re not mechanics, and don’t agree with everything when they stop you because they’ll just keep adding to the list.

“They are not qualified for this job.”

Encouraged by the outcome, Biddle said he will now also challenge infringement notices he received on the same day for allegedly driving while using a phone and dust allegedly coming from the back of his truck.

He said it would help if there was some kind of independent authority that truckers could turn to in cases like this.

“The NHVR was no help and when I asked them who would be the body I should complain to, they didn’t know. We need a governing body that has some authority.”

Senator Glenn Sterle’s 2021 inquiry into the importance of a viable, safe, sustainable and efficient road transport industry recommended that an independent body be established with one of its functions to act as a dispute resolution body .

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