Main Roads (HVS) The year in review Part One

Image provided courtesy of Gary Dunlop and Main Roads staff

2022 has been another busy year at Main Roads Heavy Vehicle Services (HVS) that has seen the introduction of new permit products, Scheme reviews, expansion of the on-road Compliance inspectorate and Traffic Escort Wardens. A number of business improvement initiatives were also launched.

The Heavy Vehicle Pilot Licence Reference Group was convened early in 2022 and continues to meet regularly to consider significant aspects, inform decisions, and progress key issues encompassed by the Review. The Review is led by an independent facilitator. Members were invited to contribute what they see as the main issues for consideration. While there were a variety of perspectives, the training of pilots and raising public awareness emerged as key focus. Some of the other aspects included understanding permits, Warden/Pilot interaction, standards of uniforms and vehicles, and traffic management including bridge supervision.

The advisory Group has discussed training of pilots, experience gained after formal training, fatigue experienced by pilots, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), safety vests, and the current 2004 Government Gazettal relating to attire, accidents or crashes and injuries involving Over Size Over Mass (OSOM) loads, the appearance of pilot vehicles, and will soon consider the current Code of Conduct for Heavy Vehicle Pilots.

Information about the Group’s progress is communicated via the My Say Transport website.

HVS introduced several new features and enhancements to its self-service customer portal, MOVES. These aim to improve efficiency and streamline HVS services by allowing customers to manage their applications and payments in one place. The online improvements related to payments, the submission of supporting documentation, traffic escort amendments and cancellations, and user administration of their account. Heavy Vehicle Pilots are able to make license fee payments, submit medical certificates and training records, and pay for replacement Pilot cards. A collection of tutorials is available on the MOVES page to assist customers in navigating the services.

Temporary Special Assistance Flood Relief Permits

In January and February the rail line was closed in South Australia due to severe flooding. The closure of the East-West line meant that for a time road transport became the only way that the movement of freight into and out of WA could occur. To help manage the disruption to freight movement which resulted from the rail closure, Main Roads developed two Temporary Special Assistance Flood Relief Permits as part of a nationally coordinated emergency response to increase the amount of goods and materials that could be brought into WA, to help ease supply chain shortages. More than 500 Flood Relief Permits were issued during the exemption period which ran from February to March. We again thank the general public for their cooperation during this time, and the heavy vehicle industry for their continued efforts.

At the beginning of April, loads in excess of 4.5 metres wide were restricted from travelling on Great Northern Highway between Mount Magnet and Paynes Find, due to flooding. The restrictions led to a backlog of over 20 OSOM loads which were parked up at Mount Magnet and Paynes Find and unable to travel on this section of Highway. Working alongside colleagues in the Mid-West Gascoyne Region, Heavy Vehicle Services developed a plan to enable the loads to safely travel along the Highway. On 6 April, OSOM loads exceeding 5.5 metres wide were able to depart under Traffic Escort, in staged convoys of up to six loads in each convoy. Several convoys were approved for travel in each direction.

From May, HVS began introducing Web Forms as part of the transition to provide our customers the ability to do business ‘on-line’ and to stop the use of out-of-date application forms.

The Web Forms include the ability to attach supporting documentation to your

application if required, and they can be completed and submitted from a mobile device. A copy of the completed Web Form is provided to customers via the email address nominated when completing the Form.

An online permit form for Single Trip OSOM movements was implemented to enable operators to select a permit that was previously approved for the same OSOM move and request HVS copy the permit. HVS issues the permit based on the previous permit assessment, which reduces the permit turnaround time. This option only applies to previously approved permits that meet the following criteria: 1. The permit issue date was not more than 3 months ago; 2. The permit was approved for the same journey; 3. The permit was approved for the same load; 4. The permit was approved for the same vehicle configuration.

In response to feedback received from industry, amendments were made to the Class 1 Oversize Period Permit Operating Conditions and the Single Trip OSOM Vehicle Standard Operating Conditions to add routes to the 4 in convoy provisions and add Appendices to clearly show the approved roads, increase the pilot concession from 26 metres to 30 metres for a combination consisting of a prime mover, low loader dolly and low loader within 3.5 metres in width, and amend alternate vehicle provisions to allow twin steer and single steer prime movers to be substituted and to clarify the different requirements when operating under an oversize permit only compared to an overmass permit.

We introduced the new 8 Tyre Per Axle Low Loader Overmass Period Permit. This permit allows tri-axle and quad-axle low loaders with 8 tyres per axle to operate on approved networks, with or without a tandem axle dolly (also with 8 tyres per axle). The allowable mass is subject to the Ground Contact Width (GCW), however tri-axle low loaders can have up to 16 tonnes per axle with a 3.7 metre GCW, and quad axle low loaders can have up to 13.75 tonnes per axle with a 3.7 metre GCW.

Operators will also be able to apply for additional roads to be added to the approved networks, in the same manner as other route assessment applications.

The introduction of the 8 Tyre Per Axle Low Loader Overmass Period Permit has been driven by feedback received during our HVS Industry Workshop and Information Sessions held across the State.

Again, following feedback received during our Industry Workshop and Information Sessions held across the State, HVS introduced 36-month overmass period permits for the permit products below: • Accredited Mass Management Scheme (AMMS) - Prime Mover, Trailer

Combinations • Accredited Mass Management Scheme (AMMS) - Truck, Trailer Combinations • Accredited Mass Management Scheme (AMMS) - Tri Drive Prime Mover, Trailer

Combinations • Accredited Mass Management Scheme (AMMS) - Tri Drive Truck, Trailer

Combinations • Block Truck - Over Mass • Tri Drive Block Truck - Over Mass • Class 1 RAV - Low Loader - Overmass • Class 1 RAV - Low Loader – Overmass –

DBCA • Class 1 RAV - Restricted Area Low

Loader - Overmass • Heavy Lift Tow Truck - Tandem Drive

Over Mass • Heavy Lift Tow Truck - 23.5t Tri Drive

Over Mass • Heavy Lift Tow Truck - 27t Tri Drive

Over Mass • Platform Trailer Relocation

In June HVS introduced Travel Impact Numbers (TINs).

Permit operating conditions that refer to a HVS Travel Impact have a reference number known as a TIN. An example of how a TIN appears on an OSOM permit is: The following HVS Travel Impact(s) may impose restrictions (s) on your journey. It is your responsibility to check the Heavy Vehicle Travel Impacts page on the Main Roads website prior to movement. • TIN2022-390 - Goldfields Highway, City of

Kalgoorlie/Boulder • TIN2022- 48 - Great Eastern Highway,

Shire of Northam

As part of the implementation, we made some changes to the HVS Travel Impacts page. Travel Impact information is now easier to search and filter. You can browse by type, OSOM or RAV, filter by Region or search by TIN or location, making it easier to plan your journey.

Also in June HVS advised industry that several new quick reference Restricted Access Vehicle (RAV) Category Charts became available on our website.

The new RAV Category Charts provide illustrations of the approved vehicle combinations and direct links to the corresponding RAV Networks in our RAV Mapping Tool, for certain Orders and permit products.

Whilst our new charts provide a great quick reference guide, operators are also reminded to continue to refer to the relevant Operating Conditions to familiarise themselves with all the conditions and vehicle requirements.

From July HVS customers were required to manage their own credit card payments via our online customer portal, MOVES. Application forms were updated to remove credit card fields and old forms no longer accepted. All customers are required to process credit card payments online. All other existing payment options were retained (cash, cheque, eftpos and electronic funds transfer) and there is no change to the current processing time associated with these payment options.

In August HVS expanded its Transport Inspectorate to welcome an additional eight full-time employees as on-road Transport Inspectors. The Inspectors commenced on-road duties in September, bringing the total to 21, along with three Coordinators.

The number of full-time Traffic Escort Wardens also increased by eight in August, with an additional two Senior Traffic Escort Wardens. This brings the total to 30 Traffic Escort Wardens and three Senior Traffic Escort Wardens.

HVS introduced Body Worn Cameras for Wardens during the course of their duties when: • Conducting pre and post move toolbox meetings; • Conducting pre-inspections of the over size vehicles and pilot vehicles; • Interacting with any third party; • An incident or accident occurs.

The video recordings benefit Main Roads and the transport industry, ensuring appropriate conduct between all parties involved in the movements and ensuring all parties are being given clear and appropriate direction with regards to the safe movement of the over size vehicle.

Part Two of MAIN ROADS HEAVY VEHICLE SERVICES (HVS) – THE YEAR IN REVIEW will be in the next edition.