Tough new laws for SA truckies

Truck drivers who flout roads rules on Adelaide's South Eastern Freeway could go to jail under new laws being drafted by the state government.

The government will also introduce a mandatory truck inspection scheme to crack down on unroadworthy trucks in response to a series of fatal crashes involving heavy vehicles.

"These terrible crashes came at the cost of innocent lives and revealed the tragic consequences of unsafe vehicles and unsafe driving on the steep freeway descent," Transport Minister Stephen Mullighan said on Wednesday.

Under the proposed changes truck drivers caught speeding excessively and even those who fail to use low gear on the descent and rely just on their brakes might go to jail.

Mr Mullighan said mandatory inspections for all registered trucks would also improve safety and make it harder for negligent truck operators to hide.

"It's been the case in South Australia, as it is in several other states, that a truck can go through its whole working life without ever being independently inspected to ensure that it's roadworthy," he said.

"That is totally unacceptable."