Drive Summer 2022 Edition

SUMMER 2022

Image copyright Simon Freeman 2019

INSIDE: General News Bus Industry Vehicle Safety Road Safety

Image copyright Simon Freeman 2019

GENERAL NEWS

Have your say on the motor dealer and repairer laws The NSW Government is seeking industry and community feedback on proposed changes to laws that regulate the motor dealer, repairer and recycler industry.

NSW Fair Trading wants to hear from people working in motor vehicle sales, repairs and recycling, as well as industry groups and interested members of the public.

The motor vehicle industry makes up a critical component of the NSW economy, impacting businesses, workers, millions of driver licence holders and many motor vehicle passengers, riders and pedestrians.

Have your say by 14 March 2022

Following an earlier review of motor dealer and repairer laws, the NSW Government found opportunities to better meet buyer expectations, industry compliance, transparency and accountability now and into the future.

Visit the Have Your Say website to complete a quick poll, short survey or upload a submission.

You will also find more information and a copy of the proposed laws and explanatory paper. *Review of the Motor Dealers and Repairers Act 2013 conducted in 2020.

Placeholder driver test bookings create backlog Immediately following the Sydney COVID-19 lockdown period, Transport was alerted to unlawful activity occurring in the driver test booking system. Some people were using previous customers’ details to hold appointments in the system without permission.

their permission is an offence under the Crimes Act 1900 and can lead to prosecution.

Transport and Service NSW continue to monitor the booking system and will investigate the misuse of customer information.

During the lockdown period, all driver testing was suspended, creating a backlog of test appointments that Service NSW continue to work through. These ‘placeholder bookings’ have made genuine bookings difficult for new learner drivers and has resulted in frustration and increased wait times for customers. Some learners, keen to take their test, have travelled to regional Service NSW centres to get a booking.

Transport and Service NSW received complaints that customers’ personal information was used to book a ‘placeholder test’ without their permission. Many customers were not aware that their licence number was being used to hold time slots. The use of a person’s information without

Don’t miss out, sign-up now for DRIVE

Have a story to tell? Get in touch.

Stay informed about road safety and regulation updates for heavy vehicle, bus and auto industries.

We encourage industry stakeholders to submit story ideas for inclusion in DRIVE Contact us for details.

BUS INDUSTRY

Door safety specifications on buses enhanced Since 1997, bus door safety systems have been mandated following investigations into passengers being trapped in the doors of a moving bus, resulting in fatalities. As part of Transport’s commitment to continually improving safety on buses, there will be changes to the specification for bus door safety systems on small and medium buses seating more than 12 (including the driver).

Following an Office of Transport Safety Investigations (OTSI) recommendation, Transport worked with the bus industry to develop these new changes into Technical Specification 160 (TS 160).

The new specifications require: •

A door sensor system to detect door obstructions

•

A driver warning system with visual and audible alarm

•

A door brake system to prevent the bus from

moving or stop it, if it’s already moving •

An acceleration control system that controls the supply of energy to the vehicle drive system, in specific circumstances.

The new specification was published on 22 December 2021 and will apply to all applicable buses first registered in NSW on or after 1 January 2023. This will allow a 12-month transition period before the new requirements take effect.

TS 160 is not retrospective. For existing buses, TS 146 and TS 155 will continue to apply. Please refer to the Applicability Table on our website to check which specification your buses need to comply with.

If you have questions about the specification change, please refer to the FAQ document or contact us.

A timely reminder: bus flashing lights campaign begins Pedestrians are the most vulnerable road users, many of which are school-aged children.

With school term one underway, it is a timely reminder to take extra care around bus flashing lights. Running from the start of Term 1 2022, the campaign is a reminder to motorists to slow down to 40km/h when bus lights flash. But did you know that this is not just school buses?

This also includes public buses too.

This messaging has been incorporated into the wider School Zones campaign which has been run at the beginning of each school term since 2018, continuing to create safer roads for all users.

The campaign is promoted across radio, social media, variable message signs (VMS) and a communication toolkit was provided for partners.

For more information on this campaign, please visit our website.

Bus Safety Week New South Wales has the largest metropolitan fleet of buses in Australia. Being such large and heavy vehicles, buses can’t stop or manoeuvre quickly on the road. Transport’s annual Bus Safety Week campaign, Be Bus Aware, (21 - 27 February 2022), is crucial in promoting road user safety and reducing injuries and fatalities on and around buses.

The campaign included new bus safety videos and other content to promote the message of bus safety. You can do your part to raise awareness about improving bus safety year round by using the existing assets on the Creative Assets Library or order items from the warehouse to help spread the word.

Visit our online toolkit for instructions on how use the Creative Assets Library and order items from our warehouse.

VEHICLE SAFETY Transport has recently redesigned its operating model to reflect the diversity and needs of customers and the industries it regulates. The Regulatory Operations Branch and the new Vehicle Safety Team was established in April 2021 and is led by Director, Paul Duignan.

The Vehicle Safety Team achieves safer vehicle outcomes by delivering effective, efficient and innovative vehicle safety and compliance programs. By partnering with key stakeholders, the Vehicle Safety Team drives regulatory readiness for emerging vehicle technologies and automated and alternative fuel vehicles.

This includes managing registers and schemes related to vehicle registration as well as vehicle identification and sanction activities.

The team is committed to improving the engagement, communication with and education of customers and industry partners.

In this edition of DRIVE, you will read about three teams within the Vehicle Safety Team:

The Administration and Accreditation team Administration and Accreditation are a public contact unit within Transport Vehicle Safety team, managing and maintaining various accreditation programs. The five team members have a wide range of experience, particularly in relation to managing schemes, and are based across regional New South Wales.

The team processes thousands of matters each year, predominantly for the Authorised Inspection Scheme (AIS), but also: •

enrolling new applicants into the Authorised Inspection Scheme (AIS), the Vehicle Safety Compliance Certification Scheme (VSCCS), the Historic Vehicle Scheme and the Classic Vehicle Scheme

•

applications to become a new examiner or proprietor

•

upgrades to Authorised Unregistered Vehicle Inspection Scheme accreditation

•

Administration and Accreditation

•

Technical Enquiries

•

establishment of new AIS stations

•

Vehicle Standards

•

processing a change of details

•

complaints against AIS Examiners if customers believe their vehicle has not been properly inspected. These complaints will often trigger an audit or investigation to establish how and why processes have failed so we can rectify and improve the service.

Be sure to read the next edition of DRIVE where you will learn about three more teams: •

Audit and Investigation

•

Scheme Review

•

Vehicle identity

The Vehicle Safety Team welcomes your feedback; please email your comments and suggestions to help improve DRIVE.

The Administration and Accreditation team can be contacted on 1300 791 186 or ais@transport.nsw.gov.au

STAY CONNECTED Connect with us on social media to keep up-to-date on announcements, safety initiatives, community projects and news that impacts your industry.

The Technical Enquiries Team

The Vehicle Standards Team

Technical Enquiries work as a contact point for the public on the technical aspects within Transport Vehicle Safety. The team has a wide array of work experience as mechanics, engineers or in regulatory roles. The team’s focus is vehicle standards and inspection procedures for light vehicles, trailers, motorcycles and occasionally heavy vehicles. Their primary purpose is to provide advice and support to AIS Examiners.

The team help to answer questions like, “How much tread depth does a tyre require?” and “Do I need to get a VSCCS Compliance Certificate for my engine conversion?” They also help AIS stations to find Road Vehicle Descriptors and provide data for older vehicles and certified trailers. Technical Enquiries is also a point of contact for Service NSW staff, Vehicle Safety Compliance Certification Scheme (VSCCS) certifiers, NSW Police, the general public and other government organisations.

Vehicle Standards is a team of trusted advisors within Transport Vehicle Safety. Extensively experienced with most team members having an engineering or mechanical background, this team has two engineers, a technical researcher and four Vehicle Standards officers.

You can read the ‘Top 10 Technical Enquiries frequently asked questions’ article on page 8.

The introduction of the ‘Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018’ has brought about a number of challenges for AIS stations due to changes in the way vehicle data and information is stored.

The team receive a lot of questions about how to find Road Vehicle Descriptors (RVDs) and Register of Approved Vehicle entries (RAV) and have developed a helpful guide for customers.

Please refer to this article for more information.

Vehicle Standards responds to a broad range of enquiries from internal teams and external customers and perform certain vehicle registration legislative functions on behalf of Transport.

Primarily, the team provides advice about vehicle equipment or inspection procedures related to vehicle registration. Recently, the team rebranded all Vehicle Standard Information sheets (VSIs).

Here are some other services the team provides: •

Approves registration of Class 1 non-compliant heavy vehicles which include Special Purpose Vehicles

•

Provides exemptions on standards for vehicles if they are modified for persons with physical disabilities and no longer meet some vehicle standards

•

Determines tow truck lift capacities for certain types of tow trucks.

•

Approves registration of evaluation vehicles, e.g. vehicles sent to Australia to do hot weather testing for experimental models.

VEHICLE SAFETY

Top 10 technical enquiries The Technical Enquiries team receive many questions every day. These are the ten most common questions received from customers?

Q1. I am inspecting a trailer that doesn’t have a vehicle identification number (VIN) or chassis number; how do I inspect it?

Answer: Trailers built and registered prior to the introduction of the Motor Vehicles Standards Act 1989 were often done so without a chassis number or VIN. A chassis number can, in many instances, be issued to such a trailer by Transport provided that the appropriate documented evidence that the trailer was constructed and registered prior to 1989 is available. AIS stations should request that the customer provide documented evidence of this and follow the procedure in ‘Authorised Inspection Scheme Notice 37’ or contact Technical Enquiries for further assistance.

Q2. What if the trailer was built after 1989?

Answer: All vehicles built after 1989 were required to have a VIN. If a trailer was manufactured after 1989 and presents without a VIN, then the AIS examiner is required to issue the trailer with a failed inspection report and complete an ‘AIS/VSCCS – Vehicle Identification Referral’, known as a form 1625, for referral to the Transport Vehicle Identification Inspection Unit for inspection.

Q3. Can I fit lift kit X and tyres Y onto my 4WD? Answer: As per the ‘Light Vehicle Modifications Manual: Suspension and Ride Height’, a vehicle’s suspension may be lifted up to 50mm, provided that at least two thirds of its suspension travel is maintained in either direction (bump or rebound).

Larger tyres may also be fitted provided that the tyre/wheel combination fitted is not more than 7 per cent larger than the manufacturer’s largest optional size and the total ride height change for the vehicle is not more than 75mm.

Q4. I want to build my own trailer; what specifications and standards do I need to use to make sure it is legal?

Answer: ‘Vehicle Standards Bulletin 1 (Revision 6)’ is a document published by the federal government which was adopted by New South Wales on 1 July 1990. It details what standards a trailer must be built to in order to be compliant.

Q5. I want to fit a turbocharger to my vehicle’s engine. This model did not have the option for a factory-built turbocharger, but the same engine was introduced with a turbocharger in other vehicles. Do I need to get a Vehicle Safety Compliance Certification Scheme Compliance Certificate?

Answer: As per item number 2 from ‘Vehicle Standards Information 06’, if that vehicle model was not originally offered with that engine in a turbocharged configuration by the manufacturer, a VSCCS Compliance Certificate will be required if a turbocharger is fitted.

Q6. A customer has presented an old vehicle that I cannot find a data sheet for. Do you have any specifications for it?

Q9. A customer has presented a privately imported vehicle for inspection. How do I know what it needs for registration?

Answer: When you cannot find an applicable Road Vehicle Descriptor (RVD) for a vehicle, please call 1300 137 302 or email Technical Enquiries and we will provide data where we can.

Answer: Refer to ‘Vehicle Standards Information No. 4’ which contains information relating to the registration requirements of privately imported vehicle options. This includes pre-1989 vehicles under the Motor Vehicles Standards Act 1989), some older vehicles under the Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018 and personal s imports. The table on page 11 includes a basic checklist of requirements for each import option.

Q7. I think that the vehicle I am inspecting is not compliant and dangerous, but I cannot find a reason for rejection in the Authorised Inspection Scheme rules. What do I do?

Answer: Call on 1300 137 302 or email Technical Enquiries and describe what you have found.

We will provide advice and instruction on how to proceed.

Q8. I am conducting an unregistered vehicle’s first inspection to establish registration and it has two Register of Approved Vehicles (RAV) entries from two different manufacturers.

Which one do I use?

Answer: The vehicle is a Second Stage Manufacturer (SSM) vehicle and will have a RAV entry from both the original manufacturer and the second stage manufacturer. Use the latest RAV entry for the vehicle and the RVD that corresponds to that RAV entry’s Vehicle Type Approval (VTA) number.

Q10. I am inspecting a brand new vehicle for a blue slip and it doesn’t have a compliance plate.

What do I do?

Answer: Check to see if the vehicle is listed on the Register of Approved Vehicles (RAV) by searching for it on the RAV website. If the vehicle’s entry appears here as a ‘type approval – standard’, you will be able to access the Federal RVD by following the entries link to the RVD on the Road Vehicle Regulator (ROVER).

For assistance or more information, call Technical Enquiries on 1300 137 302 or email the Technical Enquiries team.

VEHICLE SAFETY A word from the Centre for Road Safety on used car ratings Transport’s latest ‘Used Car Safety Ratings 2021’ is now available. Developed by Monash University Accident Research Centre on behalf of Transport and other members of the Vehicle Safety Research Group, the ratings aim to help drivers select the safest used vehicle within their budget.

Safety ratings are provided for almost 300 models based on vehicle records from over eight million police-reported road crashes.

This real-world crash data takes into account a vehicle’s safety features and size.

The higher the rating, the safer the vehicle is for the driver. Research by Monash University shows that the driver of the worst rated vehicle is over 10 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in the same crash than the same driver in the safest vehicle.

The ‘Safer Pick’ labels are assigned to vehicles based on an estimate of the risk of death or serious injury the vehicle poses to not only the driver but also other road users. It also considers the likelihood of the vehicle being involved in a crash based on the crash avoidance features fitted such as electronic stability control (ESC) and Autonomous Emergency Braking.

Transport reveals the difference between a vehicle with ESC and one without in a sudden swerve in the 2021 Used Car Safety Ratings Released video. Vehicles fitted with ESC are involved in 32 per cent fewer single-vehicle crashes and 58 per cent fewer roll-over crashes that result in driver injury.

The Used Car Safety Ratings 2021 guide is available in print and online to help you make the safer choice when purchasing a new car.

Updating online platforms for AIS and Vehicle Safety Compliance Certification Scheme Before the holidays the AIS and VSCCS portal was offline to update the system and move it to a cloud-based system. This critical upgrade will make operations more efficient and improve user experience.

We apologise if this upgrade and the necessary outage on the portals caused any inconvenience for you and your customers. Transport is striving to update many systems in order to improve services and we appreciate your patience during this process.

Please visit the AIS and VSCCS online portals to stay informed on Transport updates.

ROAD SAFETY The Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018 (RVSA) Are you RVSA-compliant?

The RVSA was introduced by the federal government to regulate the importation and first provision of new and used road vehicles into Australia, replacing the Motor Vehicle Standards Act 1989 (MVSA). The transition period for the Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018 (RVSA) is ending soon. From 1 July 2022, full compliance with the RVSA will be required.

For more information, visit the Road Vehicle Standards laws online.

Using the Register of Approved Vehicles (RAV) One of the most significant changes in the RVSA is the requirement for all vehicles to be entered into the RAV when they are first supplied to the Australian market. To support you with this new requirement, Transport has developed a short guide, detailing how to search for a vehicle on the RAV and Road Vehicle Descriptor on the Road Vehicle Regulator (ROVER).

Seeking feedback from trailer manufacturers

Did you know that not all manufacturers have to use Transport to register VINs? If you are a manufacturer with an Australian Company Number (ACN), you can apply through the National Exchange of Vehicle and Driver Information System (NEVDIS) for a World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI) and become an Accredited VIN Submitter. This allows you to issue your own VINs. Details on becoming an Accredited VIN Submitter can be found on the Austroads website.

Manufacturers can also use the services of VIN submission agents to submit on their behalf. To obtain a list of accredited VIN submission agents, email NEVDIS for an up-to-date list.

For more information about the RVSA, read the Vehicle Inspectors Bulletin 77 - AUVIS Rules changes for RVSA implementation or contact Transport’s Technical Enquiries team or on 1300 137 302.

Transport is also examining how the RVSA will impact trailer manufacturers and is considering ways to minimise customer impact. We will be reaching out to some low volume trailer manufacturers for feedback on ways to make the process faster and easier. Manufacturers currently requesting Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) from Transport are encouraged to complete an email survey.

© 2022 • Education & Engagement • 7 Harvest Street, Macquarie Park NSW • IndustryEngagement@transport.nsw.gov.au