The heavy vehicle industry has welcomed the NHVR’s announcement of a new gazette notice that reduces reliance on permits for some Performance Based Standards (PBS) vehicles.
The NHVR will give eligible PBS vehicles immediate network access where the mass limits in the vehicle approval are compliant with a Tier 1 bridge assessment.
HVIA national policy and government relations manager Greg Forbes says the initiative will provide purchasers with greater assurances around access before their new PBS vehicles are built.
“This level of certainty is a key to increasing the uptake of these vehicles,” Forbes says.
“We commend the NHVR and the participating States for working on these types of notices, however, we still have a long way to go.”
“It is disappointing that Queensland is not participating in this notice; it is very important that we have clarity on access arrangements across all States.
“There are also still a large number of PBS vehicles that are not yet covered by these types of notices.
“The whole community benefits when PBS vehicles are given better access.
“PBS vehicles reduce the number of vehicle movements for a given freight task resulting in environmental, safety and productivity benefits.”
Forbes says operators risk their investment in state-of-the-art PBS technology being unusable until a comprehensive set of notices is is in place.
“If their access permits are delayed or worse, refused – the vehicles are unusable, even though the equipment has been approved for production,” he says.
“We look forward to the High Productivity PBS notice that the NHVR has promised to release later this year.
“This week’s gazette notice is a promising move in the right direction; we encourage the NHVR and States to keep working on these issues.”