Authorities are moving to ensure companies are paying their truck drivers correctly, after they found one NSW operator dodging the rules.

Reliance Transport has had to reimburse one drive for $24,800 after the New South Wales Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) claimed the firm had incorrectly paid the owner-driver for more than a year.

Reliance Transport is a sub-contractor to Toll, which requires that any external owner-drivers on its sites must receive the same rate of pay as Toll’s own employees.

Instead of being paid ‘site rates’, as was expected, the driver was paid less than Toll staff.

NSW TWU says the underpayment was only found out in a conversation about the pay and conditions. Reliance Transport reportedly figured the underpayment amount was closer to $11,000, but paid the full sum demanded by the TWU.

The union representative for the site says he will now check if other drivers are receiving a fair deal too.

Reliance Transport owner Grant Mace has spoken out in his own defence.

He says his company is not the “sham contractor ripping off truckies in western Sydney”, as the New South Wales Transport Workers Union (TWU) described.

“I paid what I thought was the correct rate,” Reliance Transport owner Grant Mace has told industry press Owner/Driver.

“I’ve never had an issue with my drivers,” he says.

“I’m not a sham contractor, I assure you.”