The Victorian Government has announced plans to introduce an automated structural assessment system for Class 1 and 2 heavy vehicles from January 1, 2026.
This follows productive and positive behind-the-scenes discussions over the past 12 months between three peak heavy vehicle and road freight industry associations and the Victorian Government and its relevant agencies to enable easier pathways for innovative heavy vehicles in Victoria.
The new system, known as the Heavy Vehicle Structural Assessment Permit System, will automate up to 85 per cent of structural assessments, significantly reducing assessment and response times, and eliminating all fees for industry.
Those fees and the policy that underpins them have historically been a contentious issue for industry. Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA), the Victorian Transport Association (VTA) and NatRoad have long called for their removal, and renewed those calls in recent meetings with the Victorian Government.
The cessation of the fees will result in easier access pathways for many heavy vehicle combinations, including innovative B-doubles, A-doubles, Performance Based Standards (PBS) vehicles, quad-axle semi-trailers, and combinations featuring next-generation low- and zero-emissions trucks.
Those vehicle combinations have been proven over and over to be safer, more efficient and more productive than many conventional heavy vehicle combinations that do not require access permits.
HVIA CEO Todd Hacking commends the Victorian Government for its actions to facilitate easier access pathways for safer, more productive and more efficient heavy vehicles.
“The removal of the policy is an absolute win for industry, and also for the wider Victorian community, who will enjoy the benefits of a greater number of safer, more productive and more efficient trucks in the years to come,” he says.
Adam Ritzinger, HVIA’s Chief Technical Officer, says the fees had hampered some efforts to introduce higher productivity heavy vehicles – something he experienced first-hand in his previous roles as a PBS Assessor and heavy vehicles access consultant in HVIA member organisations.
“The fees can range from up to $8,000 for a single vehicle on a single route, to over $50,000 for multiple vehicles on multiple routes,” he says.
“In many cases, industry applicants cannot absorb such fees. And even if they can, they often cannot accept the risk that the assessment might yield a negative result. So both scenarios lead to countless innovative heavy vehicle projects simply being abandoned.
“That’s why this issue has been on my ‘to-do’ list for some time. We re-iterated these points in our 2024 submission to the Victorian Freight Strategy, and I’m incredibly pleased to be in a position at HVIA where I can work with the best of industry and government to drive positive change for the benefit of everyone.”
HVIA will advise members of further developments in this space leading up to the introduction of the new system on January 1, 2026. For more info, contact Adam Ritzinger at a.ritzinger@hvia.asn.au.