National Class 2 Road Train Notice

Project scope

To conduct a comprehensive review and redesign of the existing National Class 2 Heavy Vehicle Road Train Authorisation (Notice) 2015. This project will create a new nationally harmonised notice by producing standard definitions and categorisation of road train configurations and improve the overall consistency of access and vehicle conditions.

Current notices

There are currently four states that participate in the current national road train notice. South Australia also authorises the operation of road trains under two transitional notices. These notices can be found on the Gazette notices - Road train access page.

Issues paper

The NHVR has conducted an analysis and comparison of the current national notice and the existing transitional notices to produce a project scope and a comparative analysis. These documents have provided the basis for identifying key issues to be addressed in developing a new nationally harmonised road train notice. The following paper addresses these key issues by proposing solutions to eliminate inconsistent access and conditions for road trains operating across borders.

Issues Paper - 2017 Drafting of the National Road Train Notice (PDF, 2.6MB)

Draft key positions

Clearly defined positions have been developed for all key issues underlying the development of a new harmonised notice. These positions are summarised as follows:

  • 1. The definition of a road train and B-triple prescribed by the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) will be adopted by all jurisdictions in the new harmonised national notice. Consistent definitions for road train combinations (such as A-double, AB-triple, BAB-Quad) will be developed by the NHVR and adopted nationally.
  • 2. Type 1 and Type 2 road train categorisation will be adopted nationally. The NHVR will standardise Type 1 and Type 2 road trains using the vehicle length thresholds of 36.5 metres and 53.5 metres respectively.
  • 3. Jurisdictions to consolidate their current gazetted road train networks to align with the PBS Level 3A and Level 4A networks.
  • 4. The imposition of the Intelligent Access Program (IAP) on road trains operating at general mass limits (GML) will not be included in the new national notice as it is not an appropriate road condition prescribed under Schedule 9 of the Heavy Vehicle (Mass, Dimension and Loading) National Regulation (MDL Regulation).
  • 5. The requirement to hold NHVAS maintenance management accreditation will be omitted from the new national notice as it not an appropriate road condition prescribed under Schedule 9 of the MDL Regulation.
  • 6. Road train combinations may use flexible warning signs subject to certain conditions in the new national notice.
  • 7. SA state specific inspection and label requirements will not be included in the new national notice as this is outside the scope of the HVNL.
  • 8. Suspension requirements will not be included in the new national notice for road trains operating at GML. This requirement is specifically for road trains when operating at higher mass limits (HML) only as prescribed by the MDL Regulation.