The latest announcement from the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator has seen simpler PBS expanded. The NHVR has added additional PBS Truck and Dog combinations to heavy vehicles classes for Performance Based Standards (PBS) pre-advised approval.
NHVR Chief Engineer Les Bruzsa said from today three or four axle truck and five or six axle dog combinations up to 26 m long and 73 tonnes GCM will now qualify for the PBS pre-advised approval.
“This means additional PBS combination types can be assessed and receive a Design Approval by the NHVR without submitting the application to the PBS Review Panel,” said Les. “Since we conducted a trial of pre-advised design approvals last year, we have been steadily adding combinations to now cover 85 per cent of all design approvals. This has reduced application processing times for applicable vehicle types from an average of four weeks to just three business days.”
Other eligible combinations include:
- Level 1, 3- or 4-axle truck and 3- or 4-axle dog combinations up to 20m long and 50.5t GCM
- Level 2, 3- or 4-axle truck and 3- or 4-axle dog combinations up to 20m long and 62t GCM
- Level 1, prime mover and tri- or quad-axle semitrailer combinations up to 20m long and 50.5t GCM
- Level 1, B-doubles fitted with tandem or tri-axle groups up to 20m long and 50.5t GCM
- Level 2, B-doubles fitted with tandem or tri-axle groups up to 26m long and 68.5t GCM
- Level 2, A-doubles with single, tandem or tri-axle semitrailers and tandem or tri-axle dollies up to 30m long and 85t GCM
- Level 3, A-doubles up to 36.5m long and 95.5t GCM.
During 2016-17 the scheme continued to grow with 1416 PBS combinations approved by the NHVR, which was a 23 per cent increase on the previous year. Since being introduced in 2007 the scheme has seen over 6400 innovative combinations enter the heavy vehicle fleet.
For more information on the PBS scheme click here.