Jonathan Bhana-Thomson, the Chief Executive of the New Zealand Heavy Haulage Association, gives the details of a new course designed to increase the consistency of knowledge of the Vehicle Dimensions And Mass Rule about overdimension loads among those in the sector.
Staying up to date with the rules for transporting overdimension (OD) loads is the main driver behind a new course to be provided through the New Zealand Heavy Haulage Association.
The Vehicle Dimensions And Mass (VDAM) Rule includes the detailed rules about how, when, and with what permits an overdimension load can be transported. Anyone who is new to transporting oversize loads knows that the Rule can be a confusing task of looking backwards and forwards through the document to get to grips with all the requirements.
In addition to that, there are frequent changes to the Rule, and these are not clearly obvious without delving into the details of the Rule changes – and making sure that you are reading the most current version. For example, the last changes at the end of last year modified the criteria that the New Zealand Transport Agency uses to assess an OD permit application, and also the situations where a permit can be revoked.
For all these reasons, the Association has launched a face-to-face training course where an instructor leads course participants through all the rules relating to the transporting of an overdimension load.
Most crucially, there are a number of examples which use the graph to determine the overdimension category of the load. From this, the various rules relating to the travel times, load pilots required as well as lighting and signage all are able to be identified.
A key part of working out the Category is the determining of the forward distance of a particular transporter combination as this, in combination with the width of the load, forms the basis of the swept path requirements of the load.
The greater the swept path, the higher the category, and the more requirements to manage the safety of road users and the load on the road.
The course includes a written test assessment based on the material presented to give the candidate attending the course a basis on which to judge their knowledge and what they have understood as part of the course.
The course is not just for drivers or operators of loads, as dispatchers and load pilots all need to be aware of what the rules are for overdimension loads, so that all agree what requirements have
to be met for a specific load.
People working within the oversize industry will already have good knowledge with the type of loads that they are already transporting. However, the course covers all categories and requirements for types of loads that operators may not do on a regular basis – for example, loads that are only long, or only high – what are the requirements?
In addition, there are a range of other types of permits that operators need to obtain – for height, weight, and also when travelling across level crossings. All have different criteria, and operators need to be aware of the trigger requirements for these.
The course is not just for drivers or operators of loads, as dispatchers and load pilots all need to be aware of what the rules are for overdimension loads, so that all agree what requirements have to be met for a specific load.
In fact, it is crucial for all people involved in an overdimension load, from your everyday Category 1 load, through to abnormal Category 4B loads, to know the responsibilities of the different parties – from the operator to the on-road supervisor, to load pilots, all have differing responsibilities, which are covered in the course.
The instructors who take the course are all experienced industry people with lots of knowledge to be able to answer the inevitable curly questions that come from the participants.
All information about the course, costs and contacts for instructors is available from the Association and on the Association’s website.
The aim is to increase the consistency of the knowledge of the VDAM Rule about overdimension loads across various participants involved in the sector. The requirements in VDAM for overdimension loads are there for the safety of road users and getting the loads safely to their destination, and the Association is supporting this by the provision of this course.
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