It was a "matter of good fortune" that Vincent George's driving behaviour didn't claim a life earlier.
The truck driver was a drug addict who regularly drove under the influence, Judge Stephen Hanley said in handing down a maximum 17-year jail term on Friday.
George was fatigued and under the influence of methadone when the B-double he was driving veered onto a median strip without slowing, crossed into oncoming traffic on the Hume Highway and crashed into a Ford sedan in 2012.
The car's occupants, Calvyn Logan, 59, and his 81-year-old parents, Donald and Patricia Logan, all died instantly in the crash at Menangle, south of Sydney.
Gary Logan, son and brother of the victims, removed his glasses and wiped his eyes after the sentence for manslaughter was handed down.
Outside the court he described his family were "law-abiding" people who had lived their life helping others.
"They spent their whole lives in Christian service helping people both here and in other countries," Mr Logan told reporters.
"They were generous, Christian people."
During sentencing, Judge Hanley told Sydney's Downing Centre District Court that George had a history of heroin use and had obtained methadone without a prescription.
George had twice lost consciousness while driving on drugs before the deadly smash and regularly falsified his log book to say he had taken legislated rest periods.
Judge Hanley said George's behaviour was a "flagrant" breach of regulations designed to protect road users.
"The fact that he had not caused a serious fatality before the events of January 24, 2012 was a matter of good fortune," Judge Hanley said.
The court heard George, 36, had been remorseful throughout legal proceedings and had suffered a fractured jaw from a bashing during his time in custody.
Judge Hanley sentenced him to at least 12 years and nine months in prison.
He will be eligible for parole in mid-2025 and faces a nine-year driving ban on his release.
Mr Logan said he hoped the sentence sent a warning to all heavy vehicle drivers and said Judge Hanley had been "fair" in his comments.
"There's nothing that can compensate our loss but we're not here on a vendetta," he said.
"I don't like the word `closure' particularly. We have to live with our family's situation now."
"We'll just try to cope".
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