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The juggling act to balance mass on heavy vehicles will be easier for many operators with the introduction today of the 1-Tonne Tri-Axle Mass Transfer Allowance (1TMTA).
CEO of the NTC Paul Retter said the 1TMTA promotes more efficient use of vehicle load space by allowing flexibility in distributing the weight of a truck’s load across its axles.
"For many parts of the trucking industry, the old rules gave them a difficult task in making sure they perfectly placed a load across all axle groups. The new flexibility provided by the 1TMTA will help more of Australia’s transport operators concentrate on what they do best – helping people get their goods moved safely to market," Mr Retter said.
The NHVR's Acting Chief Executive Melinda Bailey said the 1TMTA is a new arrangement for operators working at General Mass Limits (GML).
"The 1TMTA permits heavy vehicle operators, working under General Mass Limits (GML), to load each tri-axle group with up to one tonne more than otherwise permitted, provided the mass limits across the vehicle’s non-steer axle groups are decreased by an equivalent amount – and never by more than a one tonne offset on any of the reduced-limit axle groups," Ms Bailey said.
The 1TMTA provides more flexibility to how a GML vehicle’s load can be distributed across its axle groups. Only loads on a tri-axle may be increased and it does not permit any increase to the vehicle’s total mass.
The 1TMTA does not apply to Concessional Mass Limits, Higher Mass Limits or to vehicles operating under a permit or notice that provides for increased mass, such as a Grain Harvest Mass Management Scheme (operators under these entitlements already benefit from increased axle mass and total mass limits for their heavy vehicle).
Operators need to read the 1-Tonne Tri-Axle Mass Transfer Allowance fact sheet (PDF, 1MB) to ensure they understand the conditions of the 1TMTA and how it works.
The 1TMTA applies to all roads in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria (unless an individual road is restricted by load limiting road signs).
For vehicles operating in Queensland, the 1TMTA only applies to certain declared routes or areas. For details of the approved 1TMTA routes/areas in Queensland, see the Department of Transport and Main Roads (Qld). www.tmr.qld.gov.au
Vehicles operating under the 1TMTA do not need to be identified by a sticker or any other means and there is no requirement for drivers to carry any specific 1TMTA documentation.
See the 1-Tonne Tri-Axle Mass Transfer Allowance fact sheet (PDF, 1MB) for more information.