The re-scheduled date for the introduction of the new national law from the National Heavy Vehicles Regulator (NHVR) has been postponed once again as problems with its new IT system continue to cause concern.
Originally set to be introduced in June 2012, the Heavy Vehicles National Law was re-scheduled to come into effect on January 1 last, but postponements until June and then September 1 were decided as continuing setbacks caused havoc with plans.
The most recent implementation date was set for October 1, but the NHVR Board has once again notified State Transport Ministers and the Federal Government that more time is required while tests continue on the system it has employed to handle access permits.
In an open letter to stakeholders, NHVR CEO, Richard Hancock said: “The NHVR Board wants more preparatory work done in areas such as user acceptance, training and support for local government. A start date for later in 2013 will be confirmed shortly.
“Once the new NHVR systems are ready to roll, the new rule book will apply in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia. The NHVR will deal with up to 100,000 access permit applications each year, as well taking on responsibility for laws relating to vehicle standards, fatigue management and chain of responsibility.”
The new rule book represents the cornerstone of the work that the body is undertaking, and is expected to cut costs and red tape considerably for road freight and transportation companies. Currently, individual states and territories set their own laws relating to heavy vehicles, a fact that has traditionally caused considerable problems for freight forwarders and transport companies.
The rule book clearly sets out the details of the new Heavy Vehicle National Law, ensuring that all heavy vehicles over 4.5 tonnes gross mass in Australia finally come under a single set of regulations.
The latest delay affects Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania, all of which are expected to implement the new national law in 2013. The Northern Territory and ACT were expected to do so on a later date, which may now be in early 2014. Western Australia, which did not sign up to the new programme, has not yet indicated when it will introduce the regulations.
