Peta Cox died when her vehicle was struck by the decoupled tanker on the Wodonga Yackandandah Road on August 7, 2014.

The tanker then hit the vehicle of Lisa Turner and her four-year-old son Jack Wallace, killing both.

Speaking after the fine was handed down in the County Court on Wednesday, Ms Turner's parents and Jack's grandparents Gerry and Irma Turner said those linked to the business had never apologised to the family for what had occurred.

The BP trailer and truck had been serviced by Wodonga-based Heavy Mechanics from September 2011, with the last service just days before the crash.

The company had faced a maximum penalty of $1.328 million.

The tow system had traveled about 354,000 kilometres without being replaced.

Jurors found the business failed to properly service the towing components, which fell apart and led to the tanker decoupling and hitting the cars.

Judge George Georgiou noted the impact the safety failures of the business had had on the victims' family members.

The crash occurred about 8.45am.

Damien Wallace had heard about a crash while he was at work and frantically tried to call his partner.

He didn't find out until 2pm that afternoon that he had lost his partner and son.

The County Court heard members of the Turner and Wallace families had suffered post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and other issues in the years since the incident.

"He does not think he will ever be OK or the same person he was before the incident," the judge said of Damien Wallace.

Judge Georgiou said the business had not had any other health and safety issues.

"Three persons tragically lost their lives and many others have been impacted," he said.

"With the exception of this incident, the company has had a good reputation."

Judge Georgiou said deterrence for other employers was a key consideration in sentencing.

The fine of $210,000 imposed on Wednesday represents less than one-sixth of the maximum penalty available.

Mrs Turner said the penality felt like "a kick in the guts".

"I found it very difficult to understand," she said.

"There's no remorse.

"It's not a deterrent when it's such a small amount."

Mr Turner said it should have been obvious to anybody that the towing components were worn.

"This company never apologised for the death of three people," he said.

"Anyone with any mechanical knowledge could have seen there was a lack of maintenance."

While he noted the fine only equated to $70,000 for each life lost, he took some comfort in the guilty verdict delivered last year.

"That's the only compensation I've got," Mr Turner said.

He remembered his daughter, who grew up in the Border region, as a strong person and her son as a happy young boy who was keen on dinosaurs.

"It's always with you," he said of their deaths.

"But what made it worse was it took eight years to get an outcome.

"The only satisfaction I get is that they were found guilty."

The company's first trial was held in 2019.

The jury was discharged in the last stages of the trial in November of that year due to a legal issue, leaving some in tears.

A second jury quickly delivered a guilty verdict in June last year.

Judge Georgiou said there hadn't been a "blatant disregard" for safety at the Wodonga business, or deliberate overriding of safety measures.

But he said the business failed to have an adequate servicing system.

"It was inevitable, it was argued, the coupling would fail at some point if not properly maintained," he said.

"The integrity of the tow-eye coupling was critical to the safety of persons ... such as other road users.

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"In this case, the tow-eye coupling failed as a result of wear occurring over time to various parts of the coupling."

The prosecution argued it wasn't an isolated failure, with 27 services undertaken in the year before the failure.

The court heard the business no longer serviced such couplings, and instead replaced them.

The crash has caused issues for its ability to conduct roadworthies.

Judge Georgiou said a fine would create financial hardships, but it wasn't suggested it would go into liquidation.

Many people spoke of the good workmanship of owner Keith Haire.

The court heard the company could call on its good reputation in mitigation of penalty.

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