Plans afoot to make NHVR’s AccessCONNECT a national one-stop shop for heavy vehicle permits
The Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) has decided to terminate its Heavy Vehicle Access Management System (HVAMS) in Queensland.
Since 2014, TMR had moved to issue notices that allow conditioned access to multiple users, for multiple trips instead of individual permits.
However, streamlining permits with the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR’s) more-developed AccessCONNECT system gave the transport department a more efficient and cost-effective alternative to HVAMS.
A notice published by the Queensland Trucking Association (QTA) states that the decision is a result of various factors including changes in the industry since the system was first commissioned in 2014, operational obsoleteness and the shift to AccessCONNECT.
“Primarily, TMR is issuing less individual permits in 2017 due to a shift to more efficient mechanisms to provide access permits,” the QTA notice states.
“Since 2014 TMR has moved to issue notices which allow conditioned access to multiple users, for multiple trips instead of individual permits.
“The streamlining of permits combined with the mature state of the development of AccessCONNECT has provided TMR with a cost effective alternative to HVAMS and as a result TMR has taken steps to conclude the HVAMS project.”
The data produced by the HVAMS, such as geographic information system (GIS)-based heavy vehicle route maps, will be used by the NHVR system as part of the route planning function.
The HVAMS was proposed to link into NHVR’s AccessCONNECT permit system to offer route assessment capability.
The regulator says AccessCONNECT aims to implement a national access management business model for the heavy vehicle industry that delivers “national consistency, improved transparency and reduced regulatory burden, while addressing stakeholder’s expectations”.
In August 2016, the Customer Module of AccessCONNECT was launched by the NHVR, with the Road Manager and Regulator Modules launched in March 2017.
The system is currently being trialled and user-tested before its phased implementation can begin.
NHVR will take full responsibility for all heavy vehicle permit applications in Queensland by early 2018.
For more information on AccessCONNECT, visit the NHVR website.