Around 50 emergency personnel, transport operators and engineering specialists took part in a major livestock‑truck rollover training exercise last week, prompted by a series of serious crashes across the district in recent years.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
Hosted at the NSW RFS building at the airport, the multi‑agency workshop brought together NSW Police, RFS and VRA Rescue volunteers, local trucking operators, Edward River Council and mechanical experts to strengthen response capability when heavy vehicles carrying stock overturn, a scenario that has become increasingly common on Riverina roads.
The training follows several high‑profile incidents, including the North Deniliquin roundabout rollover, the Deniliquin bridge crash, and the 2025 Ute Muster weekend rollover on Pretty Pine Road.
NSW Police Regional Emergency Management Officer for the Riverina‑Murray Scott Fullerton said the spike in incidents made the exercise essential.
“The number of stock truck rollovers in last couple of years made this training essential.” Mr Fullerton said.
Chief Inspector Michael Fuller, shared a story from the truck roll-over on Pretty Pine Rd during Ute Muster weekend.
“Some of the officers from Sydney told us they’d never seen livestock on the road before.”
Local industry leaders Brad McCallum of McCallum Transport and Andrew Dunn of Dunn’s Engineering led the technical components of the session, giving responders hands-on insight into truck structure, load behaviour and safe recovery techniques.
Mr McCallum said understanding rollover patterns is crucial for first responders.
“About 80 per cent of rollovers happen on the left‑hand side,” he said.
Mr Dunn showed attendees the best and easiest locations for accessing livestock, in order to remove them as safely as possible.
Mr Fullerton said the collaborative approach was the key to improving outcomes.
“Being able to gain a familiarisation of the vehicle, exchange information and experiences, it allows a lot of learning.”
“Thank you to Brad McCallum and Andrew Dunn for leading the event, and to the RFS for hosting.”
Andrew Dunn of Dunns Engineering and Brad McCallum of McCallum Transport
