Foreign truck drivers have been caught living and working in Australia illegally during a nationwide crackdown on immigration-related misconduct in the trucking industry.
The Australian Border Force and the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator launched a compliant blitz in NSW, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia this week, focusing on visa breaches and road safety.
The crackdown was carried out amid rising concerns about the aggressive recruitment of foreign drivers, mainly from India, to fill so-called labour shortages in the heavy vehicle sector, and also targeted businesses suspected of employing unlawful foreign drivers.
Officers in Victoria arrested a driver who had been living and working in Australia illegally for the past 12 years, and five businesses were caught employing illegal immigrants or workers without the correct visas, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
The ABF pulled over more than 200 trucks for roadside checks, cancelled three student visas, issued three more notices for potential cancellations, formally counselled nine more drivers about their visa obligations, and put five more businesses under investigation for potential breaches.
ABF commander John Taylor said random roadside checks would continue, and warned that foreign drivers violating their visa conditions and businesses using illegal immigrant labour would be “detected and dealt with”.
More surveillance operations, checkpoints and mobile patrols are planned for the coming months, the ABF said.
NHVR chief operating officer Paul Salvati said the operation was about ensuring safety, especially over the high-demand Easter period, while Assistant Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Julian Hill said ensuring compliance would help protect lawful workers and businesses.
“Most transport operators do the right thing, and they deserve a level playing field,” Mr Hill said.
“This operation targets the small minority who cut corners by exploiting workers or ignoring visa rules.”
The crackdown comes following months of complaints from trucking industry insiders about foreign drivers causing chaos on Australian roads, and “sham contractors” crippling legitimate operators, compromising road safety, dumping trucks and tyres, and using parking bays as depots.
Indian truck drivers are also under scrutiny in Canada, the US, and New Zealand, where more than 400 drivers had their licences cancelled last year during a crackdown on fraudulent activity.
Header image: Left, an illegal immigrant driver is arrested. Right, a truck being checked (ABF).
