Some A-double combinations and quad axle B-doubles must have OBM systems.
Some heavy vehicle combinations now need to be fitted with on-board mass systems (OBM) linked to the Intelligent Access Program (IAP) to gain access to the New South Wales road network.
The NSW Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) now requires some A-double combinations with performance based standards (PBS) accreditation and all quad axle B-doubles operating at higher mass limits (HML) to have OBM systems fitted as a travel condition.
The RMS says OBM systems monitor the axle groups of a vehicle combination and provide mass readings to the IAP system.
The department says requiring OBM provides assurance that heavy vehicles are operating within the approved mass limit.
Transport Certification Australia, which administrators the use of OBM systems linked to the IAP, says the technology allows road managers to grant access to routes that may have been previously unavailable to heavy vehicles.
“OBM systems linked to the IAP are allowing road managers to unlock significant productivity gains for transport operators, without necessitating capital intensive infrastructure upgrades,” TCA CEO Chris Koniditsiotis says.
He cites the work of the Department of Transport and Main Roads in Queensland, which opened up a route from the Port of Brisbane to Toowoomba to 30-metre high productivity vehicles under PBS.
“Benefits on the Toowoomba to Port of Brisbane route include an estimated 100 per cent increase in productivity, a 40 per cent reduction in environmental emissions and a 50 per cent reduction in the number of truck trips required for the same freight task,” Koniditsiotis says.
“TCA’s operational findings indicate that an OBM system properly installed and correctly calibrated is able to determine a heavy vehicle’s total combination mass within 2 per cent for 95 per cent of the time, when compared to a correctly operating and calibrated weighbridge – this is consistent with the original findings.”