Oversize and over mass permits can still take up to a month to be approved
Tasmanian haulers say their oversize and over mass permits are still taking up to a month to be approved.
That’s despite the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) taking over leadership of the state’s permit approval process last month.
“The NHVR is working hard, but there’s only so much it can do,” Tasmanian Heavy Haulage managing director Steve Ryan says.
The national regulator took over the permits process from state authorities on May 4.
However, it still relies on local government approvals from each of the council areas involved in a permit application.
Ryan says that is where the delays are still taking place.
“The locals absolutely need to provide approval – it’s their roads and bridges being used,” he says. “But the applications are often put in the ‘too hard’ basket.”
Ryan says local governments have limited resources and a range of other priorities.
When faced with one-off applications for road access, the task can easily fall down the ‘to-do’ list.
“No one has the time to tackle them,” Ryan explains.
NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto says the regulator’s long-term aim is to streamline processes across the country.
It also plans to introduce a permit tracking tool for heavy haulage operators.
“We are aiming to provide access to the NHVR application tracker to all industry customers, so they can know where their application is at all times, Petroccitto says.