Quarterly report indicates online permit portal working and PBS combinations adoption rates up
The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has announced the uptake of Performance Based Standards (PBS) combinations has jumped by 80 per cent on the same time last year.
As part of its July-to-September quarterly snapshot announcement, the industry body says a record 450 new combinations were approved under the scheme during the three months, led by truck and dog combinations.
“PBS vehicles deliver higher productivity and safety through innovative vehicle design, meaning less trucks and safer vehicles,” NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto says.
“Safer technology, such as braking systems, that also delivers greater productivity outcomes is providing benefits for more than two billion tonnes of freight moved around Australia each year.
“Truck and dog combinations continue to be the most popular combinations making up more than half of all approvals, followed by semis, B-double and A-double combinations.”
While the scheme has been in place since late 2007, the NHVR has been in charge of its operation since the beginning of 2013.
From that time, the uptake has been trending upwards from the less-than 200 in the third quarter of 2014-15 to the previous record of almost 400 a year later.
Reaching 450 in the first quarter of 2016-17 is a further continuation of the trend.
Also of note from the quarter is the NHVR’s permit approval moving from paper to digital.
Going live on August 1, the body’s customer portal provided transport operators with an online platform to apple and track permit applications.
According to the NHVR, the new platform halved the number of applications delayed by missing or incorrect information and, by the end of September, handled 90 per cent of all permits processed.
During the quarter 7,465 permit applications were processed, marking a 73 per cent increase on the same period in 2015.
However, it didn’t break the record from the fourth quarter of 2015-16, which reached 7,591.
“I was also pleased to see that local government road managers are continuing their recent record of turning around permit applications quickly, despite the increase in requests from heavy vehicle operators in many areas,” Petroccitto says.
“Tasmanian local road managers led the way with 4.8 days per consent, followed by South Australian and Victorian local road managers.
“We’ve been working closely with local councils and their peak bodies across Queensland, NSW and South Australia to increase awareness of the types of heavy vehicles and their impact on local roads.”
The uptake with the National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme, which adds fatigue management, mass, and maintenance flexibility for operators who instigate safety and compliance management systems, was also a positive for the regulator.
The number of accredited operators increased from 6,188 last year to 6,231 in the first quarter period.
The NHVR says it will continue to push the benefits of the scheme.