Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA) has called on the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) to delay the implementation of its new version of VSB6 for three months in a recent submission.
It had previously requested the removal of the ‘tipper stability’ calculation from the VSB6 update citing its ‘contentiousness’ with drivers.
HVIA said the calculation was too complex, had a far too great level of detail and required a unique data set that was difficult to obtain which covered tyre stiffness, suspension characteristics, and chassis torsional stiffness.
It said at the time that HVIA CTO Adam Ritzinger was working with the NHVR to seek alternative compliance options, and sought feedback from its members.
“Having an open dialogue and working directly with the NHVR team on these issues has been incredibly productive,” he says.
“Many of our members work with VSB6 and its multitude of sections and technical requirements on a daily basis, and it is crucial that we get it right.”
The current plan is for the new update (version 3.2) to be released on February 1, 2024, but HVIA says that be may too soon for its members to comply to the new standards on short notice.
It is calling for a delay by up to three months until May 1, 2024. The NHVR is yet to provide its feedback.