HVTT14 – Future Pathways

Allowing truck and trailers at Performance Based Standards (PBS)

mass limitsSri Kannan

National Transport CommissionAustralia 

National Transport Commission (NTC)

The NTC is an independent statutory body.

We develop national transport reforms that improve productivity, safety and environmental outcomes across Australia’s road, rail and intermodal transport networks.http://www.ntc.gov.au/

Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL)

Australian freight task

218 Billion tonne-kms

Introduction & overview

Heavy vehicle National Law – vehicle types and access provisions

What is the PBS scheme?

What is the problem?

How did we solve it?

Lessons

NTC project to standardise popular PBS designs to regulations

PBS APPROVED

P1

P2

P3

P4

P5

P1. How does Australia regulate its heavy vehicle sector?

HVNL

P1. Heavy vehicle classifications

General access (19m, 42.5t, access all roads)

B-double (25m, 62.5t, B-double network)

Road train (Up to 53.5m, 172.5t, RT network)

Images Courtesy: NHVR

P1. Access to heavy vehicles

Complying vehicle types

Asof right

Permit

Notice

All complying vehicles

Individual operators

P2. What is the PBS scheme?

AlternativeRegulatory

systemSafety

Productivity

Promoteinnovation

Performancebased

Environment& Society

P2. PBS Standards

3. Manoeuvrability: Low Speed

2. Manoeuvrability: High Speed

4. Infrastructure

Safety1. Powertrain

P2. PBS Access

PBS access Level

PBS maximum length Class ‘A’

PBS maximum length Class ‘B’

HVNL access level

HVNL maximum length

Level 1 20m General access 19m

Level 2 26m 30m B-Double network 25m

Level 3 36.5m 42m RT Type 1 36.5m

Level 4 53.5m 60m RT Type 2 53.5m

PBS maximum permissible lengths and access levels

HVNL maximum permissible lengths and

access levels

Maximum PBS mass limits = sum of maximum permissible individual axle group mass limits

P2. PBS – ExpectationsHow it was designed to work

How it works

Vehicle PBS approval Network access

Vehicle PBS approval Route assessment

Permits Route access

SA VIC

NSW

ACT

Currently needs permits

P3. Simplifying the PBS processPBS process under the HVNL

Blueprints

Manufacturer self certification under

development

P3. Simplifying the PBS process

Is there scope for improving productivity and access

certainty without PBS? NTC Project

Simplified PBS process and reduced assessment times

25% in 2016

1% in 2010

Percent of PBS vehicles in the heavy vehicle fleet

P4. NTC project7 axle truck and trailer combination

HVNL 42.5t Notice 50.5t PBS 57.5t

P4. NTC projectConsider moving a popular vehicle type out of PBS• Only 5% PBS approved in the truck and dog fleet• Offer 20% additional payload• 6 and 7 axle vehicle types investigated

7 axle truck and trailer combination

HVNL 42.5t

Notice 50.5t

PBS 57.5t

P4. Vehicle specification envelopes

• Constrain truck and trailers to safe configuration with the aid of PBS standards

• Provides mass and dimension limits • Performance based design delivered in

simple easy to read format.

PBS data

Draft envelopes

PBSAssessment

ConsultationFinal envelopesENVELOPES

Key information• Vehicle dimension, mass

and build requirements• Easy to read and

understand

P4. Vehicle specification envelopes

OAL 20m

• Overall length up to 20.0m (Prescriptive limit 19.0m)

P4. Vehicle specification envelopes

Firstattempt tostandardise

Worstcase

exceptsuspensions

and tyres

Multiple envelope

sTrade-

offs

Practically safe Vs

fully complian

t

Access options: HVNL or notices

HVNL: • Truck and trailers not easy

to prescribe in the regulations

• Comprehensive process, inflexible

• Provides access certainty

P4. Implementation

Notices:• Flexible • Road managers may

impose additional conditions or restrict network

• Local government consent

Agreement to implement via notices

P5. Lessons learned• Legislating PBS designs has merits, but…• Not all PBS designs are suitable• There is no one size fits all solution• Creating national notice is not a shortcut.

Understand the impact of legislating PBS designs and

how that affects the PBS scheme.

Further information

Sri KannanSenior Policy AnalystEmail skannan@ntc.gov.au

For the latest NTC news and project updates, register to receive our e-newsletter and alerts at www.ntc.gov.au

Questions?