National regulator reduces administrative requirements on NHVAS-accredited operators.
Paperwork requirements on those enrolled in the National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme (NHVAS) are being reduced in a move expected to benefit thousands of trucking operators.
The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) says those working under the NHVAS mass management accreditation module will now only need to keep trip records if their vehicle is loaded above general mass limits (GML).
The NHVR, which is responsible for the NHVAS, says the change will benefit up to 4,500 transport operators using about 32,000 vehicles.
“After discussions with industry we have decided that only when a trip involves an axle or gross vehicle mass above GML will the operator be required to keep a mass record for the trip,” NHVR executive director of productivity and safety Geoff Casey says.
“This will reduce the burden of red tape for operators and allow them to get on with the job of transportation, potentially saving many operators from hours of unproductive administration.
“This change aligns with the GML requirements for operators outside of NHVAS and also makes it easier for auditors to find and review records for trips that use CML [concessional mass limits] mass concessions.”
The NHVR has also clarified details about records that need to be kept.
It says axle and gross mass records are to be kept where practical, but as a minimum the gross mass records must be kept for every trip the vehicle takes when loaded above GML.
The regulator adds that operators must still have policies and procedures in place to ensure individual axle group masses and gross mass remain within the legal limits.
Casey says improvements to the NHVAS stem from consultation with the trucking industry to improve productivity while ensuring the scheme is not undermined.
“We will continue to work with industry to identify and implement improvements to the NHVAS wherever possible,” he says.
The NHVR has created a fact sheet on the NHVAS and the new record keeping requirements.