News & Opinion
Around the world, the undisputed workhorse of the short-haul road freight system is the prime mover and semi-trailer. In Australia, our version of this key vehicle will typically be a 6×4 prime mover towing a tandem or triaxle semi-trailer, with a total length of no more than 19-metres. The combination is used for carrying all… Read more »
There is a ‘forgotten zone’ between PBS Level 2B and PBS Level 3A. This zone comes into play when a combination exceeding 30 metres overall length meets PBS Level 2 standards. I am concerned by the frequency with which I find road managers referring to a PBS Level 2 combination greater than 30 metres long as… Read more »
Recently the National Transport Commission (NTC) publicly announced that Federal Transport Ministers had approved the NTC’s recommendations for improving the Performance Based Standards (PBS) Scheme. The PBS Scheme has enjoyed significant success since 2007 when it was first implemented. NTC Chief Paul Retter stated, “PBS scheme vehicles offer between 15 and 30 per cent more… Read more »
When was the last time you did a road trip between Melbourne and Sydney? If you work in the heavy vehicle industry, I’m sure for some the experience is relatively common. Mine was in early 2013 as part of a project with VicRoads, Roads and Maritime Services and Transport for New South Wales to investigate… Read more »
One statement that seems to pop up more than any other in my conversations with Australia’s road authorities goes something like this: “Parts of our 26-metre B-double network don’t meet all of the minimum geometric requirements for Level 2A classification under the PBS Network Classification Guidelines.” This is usually followed by commentary about insufficient lane… Read more »
The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has just announced that as of 29 January 2018, the Performance Based Standards (PBS) pre-advised system of fast-tracking new Design Approval applications has been expanded. Advantia has previously written about why the pre-advised system has been hugely beneficial for reducing turn-around times in processing certain types of PBS Design… Read more »
Advantia has previously written about how the equivalency of PBS Level 1 and General Access was broken as a result of implementing the Heavy Vehicle National Law. Australian transport ministers recently approved PBS Level 1 combinations up to 42.5 tonnes GCM for automatic General Access, pending Queensland parliamentary approval of the new legislation. This is… Read more »
The National Transport Commission (NTC) recently published a discussion paper titled “Assessing the effectiveness of the PBS marketplace.” The purpose of the discussion paper was to determine if the PBS Scheme was meeting the original policy intent, to evaluate the effectiveness of the approval processes and to suggest any improvements that could help benefit all… Read more »
A recent trial of the new Performance Based Standards (PBS) ‘pre-advised’ Design Approval process is now reaching its sixth month of implementation. Under a new National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) procedure, 3- and 4-axle dog trailers towed by 3-axle trucks can enjoy a quicker, streamlined process that bypasses the PBS Review Panel. Instead, these specific… Read more »
Some great news has recently been announced for operators of Higher Productivity Freight Vehicles (HPFVs) in Victoria. VicRoads announced this month that 30-metre PBS-approved combinations will now be able to access a significant portion of the arterial road network provided the gross combination mass does not exceed 68.5 tonnes. “Operators with combinations up to 30.0… Read more »
