Liability for stock effluent (cow/sheep shit on the road)?

[phantom]

You ever tried getting the rego on half the stock trucks on the road ? Many ( I was going to put most ) are completely unreadable due to the crap all over them and the fact that they are tucked away under the tray. I am not just saying this because I had a telling off when getting my last wof and being caught shifting my plate which resulted in not being able to see the reflector clearly even though the lights on my bike go all the time

[light]

Thats the one make it harder on the farmers than it already is. How are you supposed to secure the sh*t in a truck thats travelling from one end of the south to the other?

At the end of the day you are just giving fines to the truckers that are just trying to do their job and make ends meet. You cannot control the cattle/sheep from doing what nature intended... and how else are they supposed to transport their herd?

If you all know it is a issue then dont follow so close behind them.

[Slyer]

Thats the one make it harder on the farmers than it already is. How are you supposed to secure the sh*t in a truck thats travelling from one end of the south to the other?

At the end of the day you are just giving fines to the truckers that are just trying to do their job and make ends meet. You cannot control the cattle/sheep from doing what nature intended... and how else are they supposed to transport their herd?

If you all know it is a issue then dont follow so close behind them.

Poorly reasoned argument, it's not an unfair expectation that they don't cover our roads in shit.
In fact most drivers seem to manage it all just fine, we are targeting the slack ones.

[BMWST?]

its F(*&^% easy.If you carry stuff around in /on your vehicle you must ensure it does not become someone elses problem period!!!It is not an excuse that its a important primary industry.Peoples lives could be at risk!

[Ixion]

Are not stock trucks supposed to have holding tanks for the effluent?

If not, they should have. After all , would we condone camper vans dumping the effluent from their toilets over the road ? Same thing.

[Daffyd]

Motorhomes/campers with holding tanks MUST by law have a cap over the shut off valve to prevent shit from spilling on to the road.
Cannot get a WOF/COF without it.

Where, then is the difference between this and a stock truck?

I'll bet the aforementioned truckies and farmers would be more than a little upset if I was to shit on their front lawn!

[JimO]

I'll bet the aforementioned truckies and farmers would be more than a little upset if I was to shit on their front lawn!

haha......... mental image i didnt need

[Radar]

Encountered that on the control gate bridge on the road around lake Waiararapa. Bridge was totally slick with cowshit, about 50mm deep. I slid into the back of another bike, got a $150 fine for being unable to stop (the other guys ankle was banged up a bit so the ambulance was called. Cops attended.

If this ever happens again - a biker getting fined due to shit on the road - I would want to see it taken to court, KB'ers packing the courtroom and protesting to the news media.

Pete, there was an article about someone opening an effluent gate that polluted Lake Waiararapa recently. Was that you taking revenge?

Joking aside, shit on the road can be dangerous. Green to McJim for starting this thread. It seems to be more of a problem in some areas of the country. Luckily I have not encountered crap from trucks or too much cow shit on the road from farmers moving stock. 20 - 30 years ago there was a big problem with stock trucks - since there was no regulation every time a truck went uphill the crap came out, splattering my cage or worse myself when on a bicycle (was not yet a born again biker then).

[MarkH]

On state highways I reckon that stock underpasses should be mandatory.

Definitely! In fact I think most farmers that have to regularly move stock across a road should have to fork out for an underpass, I'd rather they spent a bit of money than endanger the lives of every motorist driving along that road. Let's face it - roads are built for traffic to travel on, the safer we can keep those roads, the better!

[Jdogg]

Up here it is defiantly a offense that they can be fined for, In fact I have just got off the phone to my truckie mate (stock) and he says it is up to $20,00 fine if caught....."caught" being the key word.....

[Finn]

Where, then is the difference between this and a stock truck?

Stock trucks don't have toilets in them.

Put it this way, if you were being transported to your death, you'd be shitting yourself too.

[Ixion]

Definitely! In fact I think most farmers that have to regularly move stock across a road should have to fork out for an underpass, I'd rather they spent a bit of money than endanger the lives of every motorist driving along that road. Let's face it - roads are built for traffic to travel on, the safer we can keep those roads, the better!

Uh, no. Actually, the back roads were built for farmers to move stock on. Think about it. Most roads (motorways and city streets excepted) were there well before motor vehicles were invented. So how could they be built for traffic to travel on.

They were built for the use of the farmers, in most cases with the farmers' money. If we use them we should do so with respect and courtesy.

If you want roads built for traffic to travel on (and no stock) stick to the motorways.

Oh, and if you pull up and pass the time of day with the farmer (if there's fresh stock marking, he'll be somewhere near) instead of blasting through at warp speed, you'll find he's probably not such a bad chap.

[Okey Dokey]

Definitely! In fact I think most farmers that have to regularly move stock across a road should have to fork out for an underpass, I'd rather they spent a bit of money than endanger the lives of every motorist driving along that road. Let's face it - roads are built for traffic to travel on, the safer we can keep those roads, the better!

My experience in rural NZ is that cockies do install underpasses, or they use a mat which they roll up and remove the muck deposited on it, or they clean the road surface.

Roads are not just for motor vehicles. It is legal for farmers to move stock along them. No farmer sets out to ruin motorists' days. They would not use the road unless they had to. Most are very considerate about "emptying out" their stock before transport by truck, and also try to choose times when traffic is minimal when droving stock.

I, too, applaud McJim for bringing this up; but I find the discussion a little bit unbalanced.

[Daffyd]

A big dairy farming concern near here bought the old Tiwai Smelter fire engine for the sole purpose of hosing the shit off the roads adjacent to their farms.

Having said that, I wouldn't go so far as to say that MOST farmers "stand" their stock...some do, but I would guess a minority.

[Daffyd]

Stock trucks don't have toilets in them.

No, they don't, but they are supposed to have holding tanks which do the same job.

While riding to the Magpie Madness last year, I was approaching a right hander when a stock truck came barrelling round the corner towards me.

I was treated to a better display of centrifugal force than I ever had in school science when all the shit that had built up suddenly decided to let go and treat me to an unscheduled shower!