The Government announced a new permit system today that will allow heavy vehicles to operate outside current mass and dimension limits on certain routes.

General Manager of Motoring Affairs Mike Noon says trucks can now get a permit to carry another nine tonnes, taking their weight up to 53 tonnes or in special circumstances even more.

"Many AA Members are already concerned about safety when they're sharing the road with heavy trucks. Increasing weight limits could affect brake performance which is untested at these weights," says Mr Noon.

About one in five trucks were found to have brake faults in 2007.

"We can understand the efficiency gains the Government is trying to make and the potential of these changes to reduce the number of trucks on our roads, but we have concerns about the ability of local roads to cope with heavier trucks and we want to make sure heavy freight operators pay their fair share of road maintenance."

The AA is concerned that not enough analysis has been done on the cost of upgrading roads other than State Highways and there is no information about how the extra Road User Charge (RUC) funds will be distributed to local road controlling authorities.

"We will be monitoring which roads heavier and longer trucks are permitted to travel on and whether there is increased damage," says Mr Noon.

"Understandably, there will be pressure on roading authorities from industry groups who will want to increase weight and length limits to reduce their own costs. We will be taking a watchdog role on behalf of AA Members to make sure the permits are well evaluated."

The AA also wants the vehicles that receive permits to have the latest safety features, including under-run guards and ESC, along with GPS monitoring systems. Driver training should be considered because heavier vehicles do handle differently.

The new Rule also allows an increase in the length of buses, which can now be one metre longer (or more if the bus has a bike rack). Some urban buses are already too long for bus stops and narrow city streets.

In addition, changes to restrictions on when agricultural machinery can use roads are also disappointing, says Mr Noon. Large and slow farm equipment will now be able to travel between 7-9am and 4-6pm, which is when rural roads are also busy with school buses and commuter traffic.

For more information contact

Mike Noon
General Manager: Motoring Affairs
New Zealand Automobile Association
T. +64 9 931 9984
M. +64 21 659 704
Email: mnoon@aa.co.nz

The New Zealand Automobile Association is an incorporated society with over one million members. It represents the interests of road users who collectively pay over $2 billion in taxes each year through fuels excise, road user charges and GST.