The manager of a trucking company has been fined for falsifying his log book and exceeding his driving hours.
Brett William Gilmour, 44, appeared in the Invercargill District Court this week and pleaded guilty to five charges relating to the incident.
The defendant worked for Northern Southland Transport and said he did not usually drive the trucks.
The court heard he drove sheep and bulls from Invercargill to Canterbury, but the final destination was uncertain as negotiations were still ongoing.
Gilmour drove to Waipara to drop off the cattle but exceeded his hours to drive to Ashburton, where he had accommodation booked.
The next day when he left, he falsified his log book and wrote down a later start time.
On this occasion, he only exceeded the 13-hour limit by 18 minutes.
Gilmour did not take his mandatory breaks and had minimal rest between trips.
The court heard the company was being investigated after another employee had also come to police attention.
That man is also facing charges.
"It's self-evident that he's tried to cover it up," counsel Bill Dawkins said.
His client co-operated with police and immediately admitted logging the wrong times, he said.
"They'd have no particular reason to go sniffing around this man.
"He's a bit embarrassed about this because he’s the manager, but he did it for selfless reasons."
Mr Dawkins admitted Gilmour had faced similar charges about 20 years ago.
Police prosecutor Penny Stratford said once the company was being investigated, Gilmour’s offending would have been obvious.
"It wasn't going to go unnoticed," she said.
Judge Duncan Harvey fined the man $1750 and ordered him to pay court costs of $650.
He also disqualified him from driving medium and heavy vehicles for a month.
