| 
| Commonwealth
of Australia | Gazette |
| Published by the Commonwealth of Australia | GOVERNMENT NOTICES |
HEAVY VEHICLE NATIONAL LAW
VICTORIA CLASS 1 EMERGENCY VEHICLES OPERATING UNDER STATE EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN DIMENSION EXEMPTION (NOTICE) 2014 (No. 1)
Purpose
- The purpose of this notice is to exempt a stated category of class 1 heavy vehicles from stated dimension requirements prescribed in Schedule 6 of the Heavy Vehicle (Mass, Dimension and Loading) National Regulation (the National Regulation), and in the Victoria Consolidated National Heavy Vehicle Mass and Dimension Exemption (Notice) 2014.
Note – The purpose of this notice is to enable Department of Environment and Primary Industries contractors to transport fire-fighting equipment when operating under the State Emergency Response Plan during a bushfire emergency in select areas of Victoria. Although the Emergency Management Act 1986 (Vic) provides powers to allow heavy vehicles to operate in certain situations, this notice aims to provide up-front clarity.
Note - This notice replaces the Victorian Government Gazette notice No S.340 - Exemption for Class 1 Vehicles Operating Under the State Emergency Response Plan upon its expiry.
Authorising Provision
- This notice is made under section 117 of the Heavy Vehicle National Law as in force in each participating jurisdiction (the HVNL).
Title
- This notice may be cited as the Victoria Class 1 Emergency Vehicles Operating Under State Emergency Response Plan Dimension Exemption (Notice) 2014 (No.1).
Commencement
- This notice commences on 10 November 2014.
Expiry
- This notice expires on 9 November 2019.
Definitions
- Unless otherwise stated, words or expressions used in this notice have the same meanings as in the HVNL or regulations made under the HVNL.
- In this notice—
(a) ‘DEPI’ is the Department of Environment and Primary Industries (Victoria);
(b) ‘External Plant Contracting Report’ is a report, held by the DEPI, which lists the preregistered contractors that may operate under this notice;
(c) ‘Incident Controller’ means an incident controller appointed under the State Emergency Response Plan.
(d) ‘State Emergency Response Plan’ is a plan prepared and reviewed in accordance with section 53 of the Emergency Management Act 2013 (Vic), located at http://www.emv.vic.gov.au/policies/emmv/.
Application
- This notice applies to a class 1 heavy vehicle operating under the Victoria Consolidated National Heavy Vehicle Mass and Dimension Exemption (Notice) 2014 and that meet the following requirements:
a. the vehicle is a load-carrying vehicle; and
b. the vehicle is a combination that includes-
i. a steer axle with two tyres; and
ii. a tandem axle group with eight tyres; and
iii. either a tri-axle group with twelve or more tyres or a quad-axle group with sixteen or more tyres; and
c. the vehicle is owned or operated by a preregistered transport contractor as listed on the External Plant Contracting Report.
- This notice applies in Victoria.
- This notice applies when a bushfire emergency has been declared, and an Incident Controller appointed, under the State Emergency Response Plan, and ceases to apply when the Incident Controller declares the area to be safe.
Exemption from specified dimension requirements and conditions
- A heavy vehicle described in clause 8 of this notice is exempt from the following requirements:
- The 2.5m width limit in section 7(1) of Schedule 6 to the National Regulation; and
- The 3.5m width limit in Part 2 of Schedule 2 to the Victoria Consolidated National Heavy Vehicle Mass and Dimension Exemption (Notice) 2014; and
- The prohibitions on night travel for class 1 heavy vehicles wider than 3.1m or longer than 22m stated in section 7 of Schedule 8 to the National Regulation and in Part 3 of Schedule 2 to the Victoria Consolidated National Heavy Vehicle Mass and Dimension Exemption (Notice) 2014; and
- The prohibition on low visibility travel stated in section 8 of Schedule 8 to the National Regulation; and
- Any other travel time restrictions that would otherwise be imposed under Schedule 8 of the National Regulation or Schedule 2 to the Victoria Consolidated National Heavy Vehicle Mass and Dimension Exemption (Notice) 2014.
Areas and routes
- A heavy vehicle described in clause 8 is only permitted to travel on the following roads, with the exception of any road that the Incident Controller has declared unsafe –
a. all arterial roads within the East Gippsland and Wellington Shires, other than McKillops Road, Snowy River Road; and
b. all roads set out in Tables 1, 2 and 3 in Schedule 1 to this notice; and
c. all roads set out in column 1 of Table 4 in Schedule 1 to this notice subject to the mass limits for the bridges set out in column 2 of Table 4; and
Conditions
- A vehicle described in clause 8 is exempt from the requirements in clause 11 on the following conditions:
a. a bushfire emergency must have been declared, and an Incident Controller appointed, under the State Emergency Response Plan;
b. The vehicle must not exceed 3.8m in width;
c. A vehicle wider than 2.5m must be accompanied by a pilot vehicle as described in Schedule 8 of the National Regulation
Declaration
I, Sal Petroccitto, delegate of the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator, exempt class 1 heavy vehicles described in clause 8 from the specified requirements prescribed in Schedule 6 and Schedule 8 of the National Regulation and from the specified requirements in Schedule 2 of the Victoria Consolidated National Heavy Vehicle Mass and Dimension Exemption (Notice) 2014 set out in clause 11, subject to compliance with the conditions in this notice.
Dated 6 November 2014,
Sal Petroccitto
Chief Executive Officer
National Heavy Vehicle Regulator
Schedule 1: Routes and Areas
Pursuant to clause 12, this Schedule sets out the additional routes and areas to which this notice applies.
Table 1. Wellington Shire roads
Beverley’s Road
Boisdale – Valencia Creek Road
Briagolong – Valencia Creek Road
Carrajung – Woodside Road
Dargo High Plains Road
Gelliondale Road
Giffard Road
Glenaladale – Fernbank Road to Princes Highway
Gormandale – Stradbroke Road
Grand Ridge Road
Heyfield – Rosedale Road
Heyfield – Seaton Road
Jamieson – Licola Road
Longford – Goldern Beach Road
Maffra – Briagolong Road
Marathon Road to Shire boundary
North – South Road
Old Rosedale Road
Princess Highway
Rosedale – Gormandale Road
Shoreline Drive – Seaspray to Paradise Beach
Stockdale – Fernbank Road
Stockdale – Munro Road
Stockdale – Stratford Road
Tarra Valley Road Telegraph Road
Won Wron Road
Yarram – Port Albert Road