Issue 82 | 01 April 2020 | Coronavirus Special Edition

Message from the CEO

Our country is experiencing a health crisis unlike anything any of us have ever seen before. As things change rapidly, at home and abroad, the heavy vehicle industry is once again demonstrating how absolutely essential it is to the health and wellbeing of all Australians and our economy. At the NHVR, our priorities haven’t changed. We continue to operate at full service levels to support the industry to be as safe and productive as possible. This is even more important now, than it ever has been before. To that end, we have been working closely with industry and government agencies to streamline processes and deliver greater certainty for operators. All changes can be accessed from the homepage of the NHVR website at www.nhvr.gov.au We will keep the industry consistently updated, as things change in the coming weeks and months. Sal

Service centres continue supporting truck drivers

This week’s announcement by National Cabinet to allow service centres and truck stops to remain open for heavy vehicle drivers has been welcomed by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) and industry. NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto said that a set of standard protocols would support both businesses and drivers to stay safe through this period. “For road freight to move safely, truck driver health and fatigue needs to be managed with regular breaks and facilities for truck drivers to eat, shower, use restrooms, refuel and rest comfortably before resuming their work,” Mr Petroccitto said.  “These sensible guidelines will help to keep facilities open by prioritising the health and safety of both staff and drivers as they carry out the incredibly important roles they are playing in the midst of this crisis. > Read the full article about service centres

Have you got a question about coronavirus changes?

If you have any questions you can contact us by phone on 1300 MYNHVR, by email at info@nhvr.gov.au or by sending us a message on Facebook. Is freight exempt from border closures? Yes, the vast majority of freight is exempt from border closures. However, some states have additional requirements in place. All information can be found at: NHVR Coronavirus response Visit the website for answers to more frequently asked questions. Should we cease two-up movements given the difficulty in maintaining 1.5 metres of contact between drivers? Will exemptions be introduced for work and rest hours if drivers are unexpectedly delayed at borders? Do drivers have a right to refuse entry into their cab of Authorised Officers given the need for social distancing? > Read the answers to these Coronavirus Frequently Asked Questions on our website

Enhanced route planning feature now available

Users of the Route Planner in the NHVR Portal can now translate a visual map into a text-based distance and time description of their route to help them plan and cost their trip. The new tool will help operators determine the distance travelled against a single route and can be used to calculate fuel consumption costs. This will give operators a stronger understanding of the true costs associated with a given route. The distance and time information can be found in the new dedicated 'DISTANCE' tab. We're also finalising a 'Turn-by-Turn' feature to be released shortly.

Temporary variations for Class 1 OSOM escort requirements in Queensland

Temporary variations to Class 1 Oversize Over Mass (OSOM) escort requirements will commence in Queensland today (1 April 2020) while Queensland Police Service (QPS) resources are redirected to coronavirus activities. Operators of Class 1 OSOM loads that don’t exceed 5.5 metres in width and 35 metres in length may use the following temporary escorting arrangements from 1 April:   Existing arrangements Variation arrangements No traffic control required One QPS escort and two level two escorts Two level two escorts and two level one pilots Some traffic control required One QPS escort and two level two escorts Four level two escorts Loads exceeding 5.5 metres in width and 35 metres in length will continue to require QPS escorts. Please note that QPS availability to escort these will be limited. > Read the full article about Qld Class 1 OSOM requirements on our website

Amendments to PBS Frontal Swing Requirements

Amendments to the PBS Frontal Swing standard will begin from today (April 1 2020). NHVR’s Chief Engineer, Les Bruzsa said the increase will allow for greater flexibility for PBS vehicle designs. “The rigid truck and prime mover performance measure of 0.7m has been found to be restrictive for twin-steer and longer wheelbase PBS vehicles, especially when fitted with bull bars,” Les said. “Increasing the performance measures to 0.85m will address industry concerns and will reduce the need for PBS vehicles to obtain frontal swing exemptions, especially A-Double and truck and dog combinations.” > Read more about the amendments to PBS frontal swing requirements

Half tracked rubber tracked tractors now allowed on roads

Farmers are now able to operate half tracked rubber tracked tractors on public roads without a permit following recent amendments to the National Class 1 Agricultural Vehicle and Combination Mass and Dimension Exemption Notice 2019. The NHVR undertook engineering assessments and consultation on the infrastructure impacts of these vehicles, which showed they imposed no greater risk than the vehicles already allowed by the Notice. > Read more about tracked tractor updates