Mark Skidmore, 55, of Numurkah, pleaded guilty in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court to contravening the heavy vehicle speed limit, speeding, and making a false and misleading entry in a work record.
He also pleaded guilty to four counts of a minor risk breach of working longer than the maximum hours allowed as a heavy vehicle driver, and a substantial risk breach of taking less rest than the minimum required as a heavy vehicle driver.
Prosecutor Senior Constable Kerrie Thomson said Skidmore was driving a Kenworth prime mover at 107km/h in a 100km/h zone east on the Midland Hwy, Cosgrove on September 28, 2024.
When police pulled him over, they found eight dates and times incorrectly filled out in his national driver work diary.
They also found that he’d worked for more than the maximum hours allowed on four occasions, and failed to take a rest break as a heavy vehicle driver.
Skidmore told police he didn’t know he was speeding, but acknowledged the speedometer was set to 103km/h and the truck should be limited to 100km/h.
He said he didn’t know about the false logbook entries.
Skidmore’s defence solicitor Anthony Coote said his client pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and the offences were “down the lower end of the scale”.
Mr Coote said Skidmore struggled to complete the logbook because he had literacy issues.
However his employers, who wrote him a good reference letter, have since had electronic logbooks installed in the truck, which was a “significant step forward”.
Magistrate Victoria Campbell said, although Skidmore was a good driver, she would have to sentence him to a heavy fine.
“The laws are tough, but for a very good reason,” she said.
Skidmore was fined $2000.
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