Melb tow-truck firm 'put public at risk'

A Melbourne towing company put the public at risk when it ordered a rival driver to unhook from a truck that was dangling over a freeway and dropping sheep onto traffic, a court has heard.

As dozens of sheep spilled onto cars below, a Western Truck Towing (WTT) driver forced his rival to remove its chains from the felled truck so that he instead could tow the vehicle away.

Magistrate Marry-Anne MacCallum said the intervention of the WTT driver led to a delay in clearing the scene and placed the public in potential danger.

Hundreds of sheep died and several cars were damaged when the truck partially veered off a Western Ring Road off-ramp.

WTT pleaded guilty in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday to the May 2012 incident, along with 73 other counts of breaching the conditions of its licence.

VicRoads lawyer David Starvaggi said WTT's offending included using unauthorised drivers and operating in restricted areas.

Tow-truck operators must pay about $400,000 for a licence to work in Melbourne's CBD, a rule WTT had ignored, Mr Starvaggi said.

He said new regulations were introduced in 2013 to crack down on "rogue operators" and the "unwieldy and wild circumstances" in the industry.

He urged Ms MacCallum to make an example of WTT, saying their offending spanned several years.

WTT barrister Tony Vriends said the company had implemented a review to prevent a repeat of the breaches.

In requesting leniency, he said the company hired employees with troubled backgrounds and had made a modest $100,000 profit in the last financial year.

Ms MacCallum convicted WTT of the offences and fined the company $80,000.