New law driving up cargo net sales

Rockhampton Autobarn sales assistant Marc Jones with cargo nets that have been selling well because of misconceptions about unrestrained load laws.

CHRIS ISON CI--

A MISCONCEPTION about unrestrained load laws is driving an increase in cargo net sales, and Rockhampton Autobarn’s Steph Stenhouse is among those retailers caught up in the trend.

Businesses have been struggling to keep up with the increase in sales, which Steph puts down to more customers trying to comply with supposed changes to load restraint laws.

“Our sales have nearly doubled. We sold around 70 last month,” Steph said.

The nets are made of a stretchable material and are used to easily and effectively secure items on the back of utilities and the roof racks of four-wheel drives.

But Senior Sergeant Ewan Findlater, of the Rockhampton Traffic Branch, said the story of changes to the law and police crackdowns were something of an urban myth.

“There have been no changes to the law. It is the same as it has been for many years,” Senior Sergeant Findlater said.

He said police had not made any special efforts to enforce compliance and that the number of people booked for unrestrained loads had not suddenly increased.

“I’ve heard a lot of different stories about police booking people around town for having a pair of gumboots or a carton of beer in their ute and that is not true,” Senior Sergeant Findlater said.

He is happy people were taking extra care, which he hoped may cut down on accidents.

The penalty for having an unrestrained load is $233, with no points recorded.