HVIA will hold a member webinar on June 29 to unpack WA’s draft roll coupling policy that aims to improve heavy vehicle safety and reduce rollover crashes by mandating roll coupling for trailers used in Restricted Access Vehicle (RAV) configurations.
The member webinar follows on from the consultation announced by Main Roads Western Australia on June 8 and an information webinar on June 17.
Invites will be sent to those who are already members of the Working Group. If you are a member and require an invite, reach out to HVIA’s Chief Engineer Rachel Michaud at r.michaud@hvia.asn.au.
Since the policy was proposed, HVIA has been contacted by many members who are supportive of improving road safety but are concerned about the proposed implementation of the policy.
‘Roll coupling’ refers to the roll behaviour of connected truck, trailer and dolly units in a heavy vehicle combination.
If adjacent units are connected such that they roll together, as in the case of fifth wheel or ball-race connections, then they are said to be ‘roll coupled’ units. If units can roll independently of each other, as in the case of pin and drawbar connections, then they are not regarded as ‘roll coupled’ units.
If implemented, the policy would apply to all vehicle units built after January 1, 2028, used in any RAV configuration, operating on any route.
HVIA understands it would not apply retrospectively to vehicles built prior, nor would it apply to Performance Based Standards (PBS) vehicles. Nonetheless, the policy has implications for all trailer and dolly manufacturers supplying equipment to be used in non-PBS vehicles in Western Australia.
Submissions to the consultation process are due by Friday, July 3.