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The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) today welcomed the announcement by the Victorian Government for assistance with processing certain types of permit applications to ease delays for the heavy haulage sector.
Currently, there are some delays in processing, and the NHVR is working with all levels of government and industry to streamline the process, particularly for those permits that require an urgent response.
Chief Executive, Richard Hancock, said there have been challenges in adjusting to the new national law, which sets clear responsibilities for the NHVR to ensure that local governments have consented to heavy vehicle travel on their local road network.
“For many local governments and for many operators, this is the first time they have had to formally deal with these consent requirements,” said Mr Hancock.
“Heavy haulage operators run their businesses with the expectation that they will receive permits within hours. I acknowledge that the new requirements and the new processes have not met these timeframes.
“To assist with clearing permits more quickly, the NHVR has temporarily delegated authority to VicRoads to process over-size and over-mass vehicles (OSOM), and special purpose vehicle (SPV) permits for journeys within Victoria.
“This will be effective from Tuesday 25 February 2014, and the NHVR and VicRoads will review the temporary arrangements when processing delays have been addressed.
“All interstate applications, including any OSOM or SPV cross-border applications, will continue to be processed by the NHVR,” said Mr Hancock.
Earlier this week, similar arrangements were put in place with the Queensland Government.
The NHVR also appreciates the New South Wales Government’s assistance in tracking applications concurrently, allowing NSW operators to contact Roads and Maritimes Services directly to access information.
“The NHVR’s priority is to ensure that these permits are processed quickly,” said Mr Hancock.
“We have already increased the number of NHVR staff processing permits and have taken on specialist officers from Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland who have local knowledge and good working relationships with local operators.
“I appreciate the strong assistance from our state government partners and heavy vehicle operators, who, while legitimately calling for these issues to be urgently fixed, have continued to publicly express their support for the Government’s decision to establish the NHVR,” Mr Hancock said.
For more information, visit the NHVR website at https://www.nhvr.gov.au/road-access/access-management or call the NHVR on 1300 MYNHVR (1300 696 487).