His failure to actually find out through the proper authorities meant Glenn Smith drove large trucks without an alcohol interlock device.

Smith had two conditions imposed on his Victorian driver’s licence after he was found guilty of drink-driving.

These were that he could drive only with a zero blood alcohol limit and that he couldn’t drive a vehicle without such a device.

That was put in place until October 31, 2019, and yet Smith reckoned he did not need to worry about this in NSW because of a belief Victorian devices could not be transferred across the border.

“You’re looking at a number of years off the road and thousands of dollars in fines,” Mr Murray told Smith in Albury Local Court on Tuesday.

Why, he asked Smith, “would you be so silly as to not investigate this?”

Smith pleaded ignorance, while also pointing out he and his wife had split up and suggesting that because of their difficulties he should not have listened to her “legal” opinion.

“I wasn’t aware I was actually committing an offence,” he said.

“It’s why I kept on working.”

Smith pleaded guilty to 24 charges of being an interlock licence holder without having a interlock device installed.

The charges relate to incidents that occurred between March 1 and April 24.

All were identical in that Smith drove a truck for Greenfreight without an interlocking device, his deliveries including timber logs.

It was an anonymous tip-off from the public on April 19 that led to police investigating Smith’s behaviour.

On April 24, police went to Greenfreight’s Albury depot – Smith had worked for the firm as a casual for four years – where they were told by the operations manager that none of the fleet was fitted with interlock devices.

They interviewed Smith at his home the following day.

“I have been driving without an interlock,” he told them, “there is no question about that.”

Smith was convicted and fined $300 on each charge and disqualified from driving for three years.