Last week the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator announced the release of two new tools that will improve the efficiency of heavy vehicle access decision-making processes.
The two tools are the Historic Access Reporting Tool (HART) and the Access Permit Rapid Cost Benefit Analysis Tool (Rapid CBA).
HART generates historical permit data for networks to enable full visibility of previous access decisions and the identification of trends in heavy vehicle usage.
By drawing on HART-generated data, the Rapid CBA then allows the evaluation of the time and costs of administering repeated heavy vehicle access permits, both in the present and into the future.
When used together, the tools can identify opportunities for road managers to reduce resource demand by gazetting and pre-approving roads for heavy vehicles, where it is safe to do so.
HVIA welcomes the release of these tools as they align with previous calls made by HVIA for the NHVR to reduce the permit burden for industry, most recently in its submission to the NHVR’s Productivity Plan in 2024.
HVIA advocates that regulators use gazettes and notices rather than permits for granting access but highlights the crucial importance of maximising productivity in setting their conditions.
Failure to maximise size, weight and axle groups in notice conditions results in ‘watered down’ versions of high-productivity vehicles, which ultimately lack utility and prevent industry from using the notices, pushing them instead towards more expensive and complex access options such as Performance Based Standards.
HVIA calls on all road managers using the NHVR’s tools to extend size and weight limits when considering replacing permits with notices and looks forward to further productivity initiatives from the NHVR.