HEAVY VEHICLE NATIONAL LAW

South Australian Class 3 Road Friendly Suspension Mass Exemption Notice 2023 (No.1)

1. Purpose

1)      This notice exempts certain class 3 heavy vehicles and combinations fitted with certified road friendly suspension from axle mass requirements and allows operation at higher axle masses.

2)      This notice revokes and replaces the South Australian Class 3 Road Friendly Suspension Mass Exemption Notice 2022 (No.1).

2.       Authorising provision

1)      This notice is made under the following provision of the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL):

a)      section 117 – Regulator’s power to exempt category of class 1 or 3 heavy vehicles from compliance with mass or dimension requirement.

b)      section 23 of Schedule 1 – Regulator’s power to amend or repeal instrument.

3.       Title

This exemption notice may be cited as the South Australian Class 3 Road Friendly Suspension Mass Exemption Notice 2023 (No.1).

4.       Commencement date

This notice commences on 14 July 2023.

5.       Expiry date

This notice expires on 13 July 2028.

6.       Definitions

1)      Unless otherwise stated, words and expressions used in this notice have the same meanings as those in the HVNL and its regulations.

2)      In this notice, definitions specified in the following Notices apply:

a)      National class 2 B-Double Authorisation Notice, as amended from time to time; and

b)      National Class 2 Road Train Authorisation Notice, as amended from time to time.

7.       Application

1)      This exemption notice applies to a Class 3 heavy vehicle that meets all the requirements in this section.

2)      This notice applies to heavy vehicles or heavy vehicle combination that is a:

a)      rigid truck; or

b)      prime mover towing a semitrailer; or

c)       bus fitted with a single drive axle or a six-tyre tandem axle group at the rear; or

d)      B-double; or

e)      type 1 and type 2 Road Train; or

f)        BA-Triple.

3)      This notice does not apply to a heavy vehicle combination that has:

a)      a tri-axle drive group; or

b)      a quad axle group.

4)      This notice applies in South Australia.

5)      A heavy vehicle to which this section applies and that complies with the conditions of this notice is an eligible vehicle.

8.       Exemption – Prescribed mass requirements

1)      An eligible vehicle is exempt from the following mass requirements under Schedule 1 of the Heavy Vehicle (Mass Dimension and Loading) National Regulation (MDL Regulation):

a)      section 2 – Mass limits for a single vehicle or combination

b)      section 4 – Mass limits for a single axle or axle group

c)       section 5 – Mass limits relating to axle spacing generally

2)      An exemption in 1) only applies to an eligible vehicle to the extent that specific conditional mass limits are provided in sections 9.

3)      If, in relation to a particular vehicle or component, this notice provides for two or more mass limits imposing different mass limits that apply in the same circumstances, the lower mass limit applies, and the other mass limit must be disregarded.

4)      In any case, any additional or conditional mass allowed under this notice may not exceed manufacturer mass limits pursuant to section 8 of the MDL Regulation.

9.       Conditions - Axle mass limits

1)      An axle configuration described in Column 1 of Table 1 and a mass limit under Schedule 1 listed in Column 2 may have additional mass up to the limit listed in Column 3.

Table 1: Axle mass limits for non-articulated vehicles

2)      For a given axle spacing in a relevant axle spacing table, the axle group mass must not be increased by more than the additional amount provided in column 3 of Table 1.

3)      For the purpose of 2), a relevant axle spacing table is:

a)      For b-doubles – Table 3 of Schedule 1 of the MDL Regulation

b)      For road trains – Table 4 of Schedule 1 of the MDL Regulation

c)       For all other eligible vehicles – Table 2 of Schedule 1 of the MDL Regulation.

4)      On an eligible vehicle that is not a road train, if the steer axle is a complying steer axle then the steer axle may have a mass that does not exceed 6.5t.  

10.   Conditions – Mass Management Accreditation

The operator of an eligible vehicle with a tri-axle group exceeding 20.0t must hold Mass Management Accreditation.

11.   Conditions – Road friendly suspension

An axle operating at axle limits under section 9 and exceeding the General Mass Limits pursuant to Schedule 1 of the MDL Regulation must be fitted with road friendly suspension.

Note: This means that an axle or axle group that is not using a mass exemption under section 8 and a conditional mass limit under section 9 is not required to have road friendly suspension.

12.   Condition – stated areas or routes

1)      An eligible vehicle of a configuration stated in Column 1 of Table 2 and complying with the conditions of this Notice, may operate on the network stated in Column 2.

Table 2: Networks for specified eligible vehicle configurations

Note: All networks are published the South Australian Department of Infrastructure and Transport and are available on its website.

2)      For the purposes of section 119(1)(a) of the HVNL, an area or route specified in this section is a stated area or route to which this Notice applies.

3)      An eligible vehicle operating on an area or route specified in this section must comply with the following conditions as specified for routes and areas set out on that area or route:

a)      Road conditions pursuant to section 160 of the HVNL; and

b)      Travel conditions pursuant to section 161 of the HVNL; and

c)       Vehicle conditions pursuant to section 162 of the HVNL.

Paul Sariban

Director of Freight and Supply Chain Productivity

National Heavy Vehicle Regulator