New scheme will allow semi-trailers to operate at 44.6 tonnes, while those caught severely overloaded will face chain of responsibility investigation
October 16, 2013
Grain hauliers in New South Wales enrolled in the State’s new grain harvest management scheme can now operate at up to 5 per cent above general mass limits.
Introduced yesterday, the scheme will run until May 31, 2014 and cover the transport of wheat, barley, rice, oats, canola and legumes.
Roads Minister Duncan Gay says the extra weight, which applies to gross mass and axle group mass, will increase freight productivity and reduce truck movements.
“Under the new scheme, a typical 19 metre six-axle semi-trailer – the workhorse of the grain haulage task in country NSW – will be able to operate at 44.6 tonnes rather than 42.5 tonnes when running at general mass limits,” Gay says.
“The extra 2.1 tonne in weight equates to a 5 per cent increase in road freight productivity and provides some flexibility to help alleviate the issues of fluctuating moisture content and slight load shifts in grain seeds which can throw out weights from paddock to silo.”
Gay says a slight increase in the weight trucks can carry will translate to substantial gains for farmers, transport operators and grain handlers across NSW.
The Livestock and Bulk Carriers Association (LBCA), which supports the scheme, says accredited operators have been granted an additional 3 per cent increase on concessional mass limit weights for B-doubles and six-axle semi-trailers.
The scheme extends to state-controlled roads in regional NSW and roads owned by local governments that have nominated to participate in the initiative. However, it does not cover trucks transporting grain to port or major urban areas.
Furthermore, trucking operators can only deliver loads at the higher mass level to silos participating in the harvest management scheme.
The scheme also introduces a three strikes policy whereby a company caught with an overloaded truck three times will be removed from the scheme for the remainder of the grain harvest season.
Gay says trucks caught exceeding weight limits by more than 5 per cent will be removed immediately from the scheme and subjected to a chain of responsibility investigation.
There is an also an obligation on silos participating in the scheme to provide an area where overloaded trucks can adjust their loads.
Gay says this will end the practice of overloaded trucks being returned to the road and in some cases having to dump grain on the side of the road.
The LBCA says the new scheme is an improvement on last year’s, but adds that there is more work to do to increase truck access to local roads.
“In reality, delivering increased productivity is still restricted until the fundamental issues preventing increased local road access are properly addressed and fixed. This is a key area of work for NSW State and Local Government,” the group says in a written statement.
“We must identify blockages along the bulk network and urgently fix them; this requires a dedicated, co-ordinated approach from all supply chain partners.”
The freight and regional development division of Transport for NSW was responsible for designing the grain harvest scheme, along with the Roads and Maritime Services.
The NSW Government spent six months consulting councils, organisations and industry groups.
“Industry has been calling for a program which helps move grain to market more efficiently to the receival silos, particularly those on our rail network. We’re thrilled with the support that has been thrown behind the 2013/14 scheme so far by local councils, growers and transport operators,” Gay says.
“This productivity initiative supports our grain industry to be more competitive in the national and international markets and help drives economic growth in country NSW.”
Gay says almost 30 local councils have signed up to the scheme, which has won support from the likes of GrainCorp and the NSW Farmers Association.
