A new Land Transport Rule will help increase efficiency and ease congestion on our roads by enabling trucks to carry more freight, Associate Transport Minister Craig Foss says.
The new Vehicle Dimensions and Mass (VDAM) rule makes small adjustments to the rules covering height, width and weight limits for trucks and some buses.
“Maximising the potential of our heavy vehicle fleet will increase capacity and improve productivity across the transport sector,” Mr Foss says.
“Enclosed vehicles such as refrigerated trailers will be able to load three more pallets side-by-side, increasing capacity by 10 per cent and reducing the number of these vehicles on the road by a similar amount.”
The VDAM changes include:
- Redefining the width limit to enable more vehicles to utilise the 2.55m limit;
- Increasing the general access gross mass limits from 44 tonnes to 45 and 46 tonnes, depending on vehicle configuration; and
- Increasing axle mass limits for various axle configurations.
“Safety is always the Government’s primary consideration. The rule will encourage operators to purchase newer vehicles aligned to international dimensions with more technology and safety features,” Mr Foss says.
The VDAM Rule 2016 comes into force on 1 February 2017.
For more information, visit: www.nzta.govt.nz/vdamrule2016
