Road Safety Feature
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21
Keep across new road rule changes I
but regardless of the speed they are operated at, road user licences charges apply. Drivers will also need a wheels endorsement on their licence. The new rules also offer greater flexibility in terms of work hours, meaning contractors need no longer stop working because they have exceeded their limit for
the day, when the job could be finished in another hour or so. Several variations of work time hours have been introduced to allow the agricultural sector to complete tasks such as harvesting, where time is an issue. These include: • making anyone who drives a tractor or agricultural vehicle requiring a Class 1
licence exempt from work time limits • providing the option for farmers and agricultural contractors to apply for a variation to allowable work time or required rest breaks for the purpose of critical agricultural operations • introducing a simplified process to assess and approve alternative fatigue
RU RO R AD AL S
t’s been a year since the Ministry of Transport began instigating new regulations governing the use of farm machinery on public highways. The new rules started coming into force from June 1, but all the changes will not be in place until later this year. For this reason it’s important that farmers and contractors keep up to date, with some of the old regulations still in place and others replaced with new rules. One of the most important changes which has come into force relates to how tractors are registered. Tractor operators must decide whether they wish to register their machinery as capable of travelling above 40kmh on public roads – if so the tractor must comply with the same regulations as other road-legal vehicles, and carry the applicable, simplified version of the warrant of fitness. This overrules the need for the certificate previously required for heavier tractors,
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management schemes. This means weather sensitive jobs such as hay baling and harvesting can be completed ahead of adverse forecasts. For more information on the new road rules, visit www. nzta.govt.nz/resources/agrivehicles-guide/
SAFER RURAL ROADS
TREE TRIMMING
SAFER RURAL ROADS
Are your trees looking shady?
SAFER
Trees can shade roads and footpaths causing ice in winter. Make sure your trees are not making the road unsafe. SAFER RURAL ROADS It’s your responsibility.
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