Roads department wants to update route assessment guidelines to account for changes in the freight task
March 2, 2012
NSW is seeking feedback from the trucking industry on draft changes to the state’s route assessment guideline for restricted access vehicles.
With the guideline last revised 10 years ago, the department says the changes are designed to improve road safety and productivity and reflect the changes in the freight task.
“The route assessment guideline was last revised in 2002 and provides RMS, councils and industry members with procedures and technical guidelines to determine access to new freight routes,” a spokesperson says.
“Since then a number of new heavy vehicle combinations have needed access to NSW roads, including vehicles operating at higher mass limits, AB and B-triples and vehicles classed as innovative by the national performance based standards scheme. The guideline has now been revised to include these new types of heavy vehicles.”
“The guideline also has a number of other changes aimed at increasing efficiency, including streamlining the procedure for assessing routes for RMS and local councils.”
The department says it is important to resolve ‘last mile’ restrictions that prevent operators from using higher productivity vehicles on particular roads, especially on local government-owned routes.
“Greatest productivity for the industry is achieved when the same vehicle can carry a load from the source to the destination. Removing the need to stop and reconfigure the load for delivery decreases transport times, reduces costs, improves safety,” the RMS spokesperson says.
“The revised guideline will help productivity in this important industry, while focusing on road safety.”
The draft guidelines can be accessed here. The RMS has given stakeholders until March 26 to respond to the proposed changes.
