Tri-axle dollies should get a 1.5 tonne tare mass increase in the planned amendments to the Heavy Vehicle National Law mass, dimension and loading regulations, the ATA submission on the amendments says.
The NTC asked for submissions about the regulations needed to increase general access mass limits to match the current concessional limits and to extend the length of vehicles from 19 to 20 metres. The increases are the result of the HVNL review.
The ATA submission argues that the current rules penalise operators that use a tri-axle dolly instead of a tandem dolly. The submission recommends a 1.5 tonne tare mass concession to ensure gross combination mass is not reduced, with proposed limits of 83 tonnes (GML) and 87 tonnes (HML).
The submission supports aligning GML with CML but urges the retention of the one tonne tri-axle transfer allowance for indivisible loads.
It supports extending prescriptive vehicle length from 19 metres to 20 metres, while calling for more flexible S dimension tables to avoid restrictive wheelbase requirements.