Cane truck rolls on Rex Range



Cane truck rolls on Rex Range

Wednesday September 24 2014, 11:45am

A B-double truck carrying cane to the Mossman Mill rolled on the Rex Range on September 20, leaving the driver with minor injuries. 

No-one else was hurt in the incident. 

The truck, which was operated by transport company Qube Logistics, rolled at about 6:25am just west of the turnoff to Upper Cassowary Road, spilling its load of cane down the sheer hillside. 

Police and emergency services diverted traffic around the crash while the truck was righted. 

Qube Logistics and Mossman Mill operator Mackay Sugar have previously come under fire from residents in Julatten and Mount Molloy over concerns about the size and volume of double trucks hauling cane from the Tablelands to the mill down the narrow and winding Rex Range. 

John Brisbin, secretary of the Julatten and Mount Molloy Association of Residents and Ratepayers (JAMARR) said the Rex Range was too narrow to safely take the volume of heavy trucks.

“Road width was one of the key safety issues that were found in the study of the range road,” Mr Brisbin said. 

“They ought to minimise the amount of B-Double trucks on the range and send them through Arriga instead.”

 

Qube Logistics said it employed strict safety protocols and a thorough investigation of the crash would be undertaken. 

“Qube has installed industry best practice technology into the equipment allocated to the Mackay Sugar Haulage task,” Qube national IR & BD manager Dan Coulton said. “This technology enables us to monitor equipment in real time and also to provide detailed post incident analysis. We are able to view camera footage of the incident from the 4 cameras installed on the truck and download detailed data from the on board computer which provides information including truck speed, the system highlights if a vehicle is cornering too hard/ fast or braking too hard. 

“All this information will be analysed in detail as part of our post incident investigation and determine any subsequent actions as a result of the investigation.”