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Land Transport Act 1998

Enforcement of responsibilities - Enforcement powers for offences involving certain vehicles

128: Enforcement officer to order heavy vehicle to stop until load secured

You could also call this:

“Police can stop trucks with wobbly loads to make sure nothing falls off”

If a police officer thinks that something on a big truck or its trailer might fall off onto the road, they can tell the driver to stop. The officer will make the truck stay stopped until the load is safe. They might tell the driver to stay where they are, or to move to a safer place. The truck can’t go until everything on it is secure and won’t fall off, or until they take off the unsafe part of the load. This rule is to keep everyone safe on the road.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM435128.

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127: Protection against claims resulting from action under section 125 or section 126, or

"No blame for officials who stop vehicles or remove items, unless they're careless"

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128A: Enforcement officer's powers in respect of non-complying small passenger service vehicles, or

"Police can stop unsafe taxis or rideshare cars from working"

Part 9 Enforcement of responsibilities
Enforcement powers for offences involving certain vehicles

128Enforcement officer to order heavy vehicle to stop until load secured

  1. An enforcement officer who has good cause to suspect that the load or part of the load on a heavy motor vehicle, or on a vehicle being towed by a heavy motor vehicle, on a road is not secured and contained in such a manner that it cannot fall or escape from the vehicle must direct the driver or person in charge of the vehicle, if necessary, that the vehicle be stopped.

  2. The enforcement officer must also direct that—

  3. the vehicle be kept stopped; or
    1. the vehicle be moved to a place of safety approved by the officer and be kept stopped at that place—
        1. until the load or part of the load is secured and contained in such a manner that it cannot fall or escape from the vehicle, or is removed from the vehicle.

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