Truck Loading Made Easier by New Rule
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A new law has come into effect which makes the loading of trucks simpler by providing the industry with greater flexibility when it comes to distributing loads across axle groups.
The new mass transfer allowance has been introduced under national regulations, which means that across Oz the process of loading heavy vehicles will be much easier.
The recently implemented law is aimed at giving the industry more flexibility when loading trucks. So far Queensland has imposed the restrictions. In Queensland the allowance has been limited to selected routes but in Victoria, NSW, The ACT, South Australia and Tasmania the allowance applies to all roads. The only territories that the new rule does not apply at the moment is Western Australia and the Northern Territory, this is because these 2 territories have not adopted the national heavy vehicle regulations.
According to an article which was posted on Fullyloaded.com.au reporting on the new rule, the law has been introduced to make the task of loading trucks a lot easier.
The article went on to explain the new rule:
A provision permitting one tonne tri-axle mass transfer allowance is now available in the jurisdictions that have signed up to national regulations, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT.
Operators working under general mass limits (GML) can now load each tri-axle group with up to one tonne more than permitted as long as the mass limits across the non-steer axle groups drop by an equivalent amount to offset it.
It is believed that the measure was introduced to provide operators with more flexibility when it comes to the distribution of weight of a truck’s load across its axles. Operators should however be aware that the new rule does not include allowing heavy vehicles to carry greater masses.
The CEO for the National Transport Commission, Paul Retter was quoted as saying about the new heavy vehicle regulation:
“For many parts of the trucking industry, the old rules gave them a difficult task in making sure they perfectly placed a load across all axle groups,” National Transport Commission (NTC) CEO Paul Retter says.
Operators should also keep in mind that the new ruling does not apply to vehicles under concessional mass limits or higher mass limits or trucks enrolled in schemes that permit increased mass, such as the Grain Harvest Management Scheme.
Facilitating simpler heavy vehicle transport the NHVR also explained that under the rule, vehicles operating under the transfer allowance do not need to have any identification. Making truckies lives even easier, the rule does not require drivers to carry any documentation with them either.
A new guide has been published which outlines the conditions of the allowance and how it works. For truck operators in Queensland however where the rule is limited, operators will have to contact the state’s Transport Department for more detailed information:
The NHVR says trucking operators in Queensland need to contact the state’s Department of Transport and Main Roads for details on approved routes and areas.
