C2020G00213 National Class 1 Agricultural Vehicle and Combination Mass and Dimension Exemption Notice

Related Notices

State based information

There are currently three states that provide notices authorising the use of agricultural vehicles and combinations. Operators must only operate under the National Class 1 Agricultural notice or the current state notices for the entire journey. No ‘mix-and-match’ of provisions, exemptions, conditions or approved areas and routes are allowed. The jurisdictional notices remain in effect until the state agricultural notice has been revoked. 

***link these pages to our own landing page for each notice once created

Changes & Updates

Previous Notices

This Notice revokes and replaces the National Class 1 Agricultural Vehicle and Combination Mass and Dimension Exemption Notice 2019 (No.2).

It makes a minor amendment to the definition of rubber tracked tractor to specify the status of ‘half-tracked tractors”.

Amendments

• List of amendments to notices
• List of amendments to notices
• List of amendments to notices

Updates

10 January 2021

• Updated the how vehicles are regulated

23 March 2020

• Changed limit from 1 to 10 tones

Expiring or expired jurisdictional agricultural notices

The NHVR will commence the revocation process affecting the notices listed in the table below. This means the notices will be ineffective 28 days after the NHVR publishes the revocation advice for each listed jurisdictional notice.

Operators are advised to review the conditions of access for the National Class 1 Agricultural notice before the date of expiry or revocation is completed. Where the vehicle or combination is unable to comply with the notice, the operator will need to apply for a permit. 

What happens if I already have a permit that refers to an expired notice?

Operators should check existing permits to ensure the full journey is approved by either the permit or an active notice.  

A new permit is required if the existing permit does not cover the full journey and refers to an expired notice. This is where a route commences or ends at a network of a revoked notice and the combination does not comply with the National Class 1 Agricultural notice.  

If you need a permit, you will have to submit a new access permit application through the NHVR Portal

Supporting Documents

This Notice operates in conjunction with the National Class 1 Agricultural Vehicle and Combination Mass and Dimension Exemption Notice Operator’s Guide (Guide) and the Agricultural Heavy Vehicle Map (Map) that are maintained and published by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator. The Guide and Map contains important specified information under this Notice, such as approved networks and access conditions.

• National Class 1 Agricultural Vehicle and Combination Mass and Dimension Exemption Notice Operator’s Guide (PDF, 3.6MB)
• Appendix 5: Road Manager conditions (PDF, 3.9MB)

Resources, Factsheets, Tools and Calculators

• Agricultural Heavy Vehicle Zone Map
• Tow Mass Ratios for Agricultural Vehicles (PDF, 234KB)
• Tow Mass Ratio Calculator (XLSX, 17KB)

Terms used in this notice

Unless otherwise stated, words and expressions used in this Notice have the same meanings as those defined in the HVNL.

• Agricultural Heavy Vehicle Zone (Zone) means an area designated as such on the Map. Note: Zones are areas where specific mass, dimension and other conditions apply as specified in this Notice. Zones are numbered 1 to 5.
• Agricultural Heavy Vehicle Restricted Road means a road for which Zone 1 dimension provisions apply regardless of the Zone the road passes through. Note:     Agricultural heavy vehicle restricted roads are specified on the Map.
• Agricultural Heavy Vehicle Zone Map (Map) means the map of that name published by the NHVR that displays:
  • a) Agricultural Heavy Vehicle Zones; and
  • b) Any road and travel conditions that may apply on roads or areas within a Zone.
• Agricultural Vehicle Route Assessment means a route assessment completed in the prescribed form as for travel in New South Whiles, subject to s22 of this Notice and the Guide.
• Approved Cotton Harvester Road means a road so designated on the Map for the purposes of section 20 of this Notice.
• Approved Sugarcane Harvester Road means a road designated as such on the Zone Map for the purposes of section 11 of this Notice.
• Eligible cotton harvester means a vehicle that meets the requirements of section 20 and that complies with the conditions of this Notice.
• Eligible vehicle means a vehicle that complies with section 7 of this Notice.
• Guide means the National Class 1 Agricultural Vehicle and Combination Mass and Dimension Notice Operator’s Guide, published by the NHVR. Note: This Notice refers to and adopts certain information published in the Guide, and the Guide operates in conjunction with this Notice.
• Major Road means a State controlled road.
• Map means the Agricultural Heavy Vehicle Map, published by the NHVR. Note: This Map refers to and adopts certain information published in the Guide and this Notice, and the Map operates in conjunction with this Notice.
• Pair of tracks means a set of connected tracks on a rubber tracked tractor with one track on each side of the vehicle.
• Participating jurisdiction means the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania or Victoria.
• Rubber tracked tractor means an agricultural machine designed to tow and provide power for agricultural implements, which has at least one pair of rubber tracks instead of conventional wheeled axles in one of the following configurations:
  • a) one pair of tracks and one conventional wheeled axle (half tracked tractor);
  • b) one pair of tracks and no conventional wheeled axle (dual tracked tractor); or
  • c) two pairs of tracks, (quad tracked tractor).
• Sugarcane harvester means a harvester used for the harvest of sugar cane.
• Tow Mass Ratio means the ratio of the mass of the towing vehicle to the combined mass of the towed implements and/or trailers, when all vehicles are connected as part of an agricultural combination. Note: To be clear, the tow mass ratio is not based on the independent mass of the towing vehicle to the mass of the towed implements and/or trailers as if they were not connected as part of an agricultural combination.

Tools and Calculators

Table 1 – Conditional mass limits

Table 2 – Agricultural Heavy Vehicle Zone conditional dimension limits

Network & Maps

Roads covered by this notice

You can view the road network that is covered by this notice by doing the following:

1. Load the route planner tool NHVR Route Planner
2. On the map zoom into the area you would like to travel to and from
3. On the top right of the screen hover over the layers option and check the following options:
   1. State/Territories Declared Roads
   2. IAP Category 1 State roads (QLD)
   3. IAP Category 2 State roads (QLD)
   4. HML (ACT, NT, QLD, TAS Only)
   5. HML (VIC Only)
   6. B-double 23m Network

Planning your route

In addition to the above you can plan your route by adding in your waypoints.
Note: the tool does not currently support custom routes. You will need to discuss this with the portal team.

Conditions

We could summarize the conditions and link off to more detail on the notice page. Or format them in expanders. But this should be explanation of notice, not duplicate. Where is the balance?

• 9. Conditions – Mass (All Agricultural Heavy Vehicle Zones)
  • 1) The mass of an eligible vehicle must not exceed the following limits:
    • a) 45.0 tonnes GCM; and
    • b) The mass on an axle that has the number and width of tyres specified in Column 1 of Table 1 must not be more than the mass limit set out in Column 2 opposite the description of that axle; and
    • c) The mass of an axle group must not be more than the axle group mass limits set out in Column 3 of Table 1; and the mass of the axles in that axle group must not be more than the mass specified in section (b).
• Table 1 – Conditional mass limits For all conditions, view the notice at the Federal Register of Legislation
• 10. Exemptions – Dimensions
• 11. Conditions – Dimensions (Limited by Agricultural Heavy Vehicle Zone)
• 12. Conditions – Stated Areas and Routes (Zones and Map)
• 13. Conditions – Stated Areas and Routes (Agricultural Heavy Vehicle Restricted Road)
• 14. Conditions – Stated Areas and Routes (Prohibited Structures)
• 15. Conditions —Pilot and escort requirements (Day travel)
• 16. Conditions - Pilot and escort requirements (Night travel)
• 17. Conditions - Tow mass ratio restrictions for agricultural combinations
• 18. Conditions – Speed restrictions for agricultural combinations
• 19. Conditions — Travel in an 80km/h or higher speed zone
• 20. Conditions —Special Conditions for eligible cotton harvesters
• 21. Conditions — Special Conditions for rubber tracked tractors
• 22. Conditions – Agricultural Vehicle Route Assessment (New South Wales)
• 23. Conditions – Bridge formula mass restrictions for travel in Queensland
• 24. Conditions – Travel on freeways

How can we summarize this conditions info without copying the whole notice across?

How can we summarize this conditions info without copying the whole notice across?