Mobile cranes using NSW roads will get the big brother treatment after RTA announces IAP extension
June 10, 2011
Mobile cranes using the NSW road network will get the big brother treatment after the Roads and Traffic Authority extended the Intelligent Access Program’s (IAP) coverage.
The move brings NSW into line with Victoria, which applied the GPS tracking tool to mobile cranes when it introduced the monitoring tool.
A spokesperson for the RTA says IAP will apply to mobile cranes defined as ‘high risk’ travelling on NSW roads and to ensure consistency for all vehicles operating under higher mass limits (HML).
Currently, trucking operators wanting HML access must enrol in IAP.
“A three month transition will start from 27 June to allow crane operators sufficient time to ensure they are enrolled in the IAP,” the spokesperson says.
The RTA has no made no secret of its desire to expand the coverage of IAP. In 2009 it advocated for the program to be used to electronically monitor speed and fatigue.
While some trucking operators have managed to gain payload increases using the scheme, others who have enrolled have lost money because councils refuse to grant access to local roads and bridges.