The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has announced a brand-new Heavy Vehicle Safety Station (HVSS) has been opened on New South Wales’ Golden Highway.
Situated about 5.5km east of Ballimore between Dubbo and Dunedoo along the Golden Highway, the new site, originally built by Transport for NSW, will be operated by the NHVR.
It says it will “deliver a safety boost” on the key freight route.
“The Ballimore HVSS will require all heavy vehicles travelling along the Golden Highway to enter the HVSS when directed,” the NHVR says.
“The HVSS operating hours and staffing levels will vary to match traffic patterns but can operate up to 24 hours a day, at peak times including weekends and public holidays.
“The HVSS sites are fitted with safety software which can determine a heavy vehicle’s registration status and defect status, while also accessing Safe-T-Cam sightings that along with the driver’s work diary, can assist with monitoring driver fatigue.”
The project was first announced by the NSW government on May 21, 2023, with the government saying the HVSS would come courtesy of the federal and NSW governments providing joint funding of up to $7 million.
However, the project has since raised the ire of the heavy vehicle industry, with NSW budget estimates discussions on April 1 uncovering that the project’s budget blew out to $11.9 million.
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“You can barely get a truck in there, you might get two at most queued up after,” veteran truckie and former National Road Freighters Association president Rod Hannifey told OwnerDriver.
“There’s a weighbridge, some demountables and some variable speed signs – is any of this justified and worth the final cost?”
Rod says he also questions the choice of location, describing the HVSS as being “in the middle of nowhere”. This means he has concerns over NHVR staff having to drive an hour to and from the station simply to work the HVSS.
“The roads around it are some of the worst I’ve driven on in the past 12 months, that money could’ve been better spent saving someone’s life by fixing roads,” he says.
“I thought the $7 million budget was completely ridiculous, but the $11 million price tag has me wanting justification that it’s good value for money.”
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