Image: HEB Construction recently transported these two HM400-5 dump trucks from Komatsu in East Tamaki to the Taharoa Ironsands site, west of Otorohanga.
The oversize freight sector plays a crucial role in making sure that New Zealand keeps moving forward – whether this is the movement of large machinery, the relocation of buildings to a new site, or the development and maintenance of key infrastructure. However, we need the roading infrastructure and regulatory controls to keep pace and ensure this happens efficiently, writes Jonathan Bhana-Thomson, the Chief Executive of the New Zealand Heavy Haulage Association.
Bridge design and capacity
The design of bridges on the State Highway network uses the New Zealand Transport Agency [NZTA] Bridge Manual that is based on loadings that were decided in 1972. Now, these have been recently updated to allow for modelling of newer HPMV* combinations – but there has been no similar change made for loads travelling on overweight permits.
In practice, what the industry is finding is that longer span bridges have maximum gross loadings that are less than what today’s multi-axle platform trailers are regularly asked to transport on the State Highway network.
The Association asked for an assurance from NZTA that new bridge structures designed for the Roads of National Significance projects are being modelled with overweight combinations to cater for these loads. Often these types of loads are transformers that are being moved for Transpower, as new or replacement units, and are crucial for the continued operation of NZ’s economy. We are still waiting for this.
We will continue to ask the Transport Agency to undertake this detailed modelling so that these bridge structures are good for carrying overweight loads into the future.
Road maintenance
We have noted the uplift in investment in road maintenance over the last couple of years and long may this continue. This is now being delivered through the new regional Integrated Delivery Model contracts that NZTA has put in place and the Association looks forward to good continuing communication with these organisations.
The management of the road works and the delays to road users is always going to be a challenge to balance – but it is even more important to get right to allow oversize freight to continue to be moved.
Our main routes are the State Highways. Any detours off them are also going to have less capacity for wide and/or heavy loads, and even getting oversize loads through Stop-Go worksites can be a challenge at times. Improvements to communications and the ability to directly plan access with the roadworks sites in advance would definitely help.
One area where we have noticed a decline in standards is the roadside maintenance of vegetation and trees. For oversize loads being transported, the pavement is important, but maintaining width and height envelopes is key for getting the loads to their destinations.
It appears that there are limits on the amount being spent on vegetation, and in our view this needs to be reinstated to what we had before. Also, with the increasing number of weather events that are afflicting the country, the better roadside vegetation is maintained, the fewer trees are likely to fall across the road or hang over into the live lane area.
Upgrade to permitting
NZTA issues the overweight permits that are utilised for the transport of overweight loads. This is managed through its permit portal. However, a bugbear for the industry is that each of the Agency’s regions has to be applied for individually.
This is an administratively unnecessary step and simply takes extra time and effort for the transport industry. The Association has been asking for this and other changes to the permit portal, and while there have been discussions, to date there have been no changes implemented.
In addition, the overdimension permit application process is simply using a webform on the NZTA website, and there is no way to retrieve a permit, update it, or replicate it. This would make things much simpler for the overdimension transport sector to apply for permits, and more efficient to get oversize loads moved.
Common-sense changes
Other changes that the Association is seeking are some common-sense changes to the travel time restrictions to make them easier to understand and comply with. This includes better definitions and ways of defining the City areas so that all industry knows and can comply with them. The aim here is to keep other road users safe – which is a key aspect to the rules for overdimension travel in the VDAM Rule** – an aim which the Association supports.
Together these changes will make the transport of oversize freight more efficient on the road, enable the regulatory and roading infrastructure to keep up with the requirements from clients to move large freight, and to keep NZ moving.
* High productivity motor vehicles or trucks able to operate above the 44-tonne weight limit under permit.
**Vehicle Dimensions and Mass Rule.
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