But the penalty fell short of the maximum $3 million penalty that Cleanaway could have faced over the crash on Adelaide's South-Eastern Freeway on August 18, 2014.
In South Australia's Supreme Court on Thursday, Auxiliary Justice Chris Kourakis imposed the $1.1 million fine that "reflected the culpability ... that the breach exposed both Cleanaway workers and the general public to the risk of serious injury or death".
Jacqueline Byrne, 41, and Thomas Spiess, 56, were killed when the truck smashed into their stationary cars at the base of the freeway, after reaching speeds of up to 151km/h.
Cleanaway driver Darren Hicks had a leg amputated and suffered a broken neck, while motorist Louise Compton also suffered serious injuries.
The company was found guilty in 2021 of failing to comply with its health and safety duty, in a case brought by national work health and safety regulator Comcare.
Mr Hicks, who previously had charges against him dropped, told the trial that he battled in vain to slow down before hitting cars stopped at traffic lights.
He had been driving for Cleanaway for less than a week before the crash, it was his first time behind the wheel of the truck involved and also his first time driving any truck down the freeway, he said.
The court was told that as the truck gathered speed, he tried to slow it with the brakes so that he could change into a lower gear.
But he said there was "no air in the brakes" and the truck was going too fast.
Mr Hicks, who went on to win gold, silver and bronze medals at the 2020 Paralympics, also gave evidence that while the truck was a manual, all his company training was in an automatic.
In his judgment, Justice Kourakis said Cleanaway "ought to have known how inexperienced Mr Hicks was when he was employed".
Much of the time it had taken to reach sentence "was the result of Cleanaway's unmeritorious denial of its culpability", Justice Kourakis said.
"It is difficult to imagine that a corporation like Cleanaway was much burdened by the lapse of time.
"Certainly, it pales into insignificance in comparison to the anguish the delay has caused the victims of its offending."
He reduced the penalty due to the company's "significant systemic safeguarding" since the crash.
Cleanaway on Thursday extended its condolences to those affected by the tragedy, saying it had undertaken significant safety system and procedure upgrades since 2014.
Among the measures included a major program to improve the safety of our fleet, a spokesperson said.
"Cleanaway is making a further major investment in its fleet in 2026 through the roll out of new in vehicle cab monitoring to promote safer driving."
9°C