If you are planning to use Restricted Access Vehicles (RAVs), such as Road Trains, B-Doubles and Truck and Dog Trailer combinations to complete any transport task, you must first ensure the required public roads are approved for the appropriate RAV network. It is part of your responsibilities under the Chain of Responsibility (CoR) legislation.
The Chain of Responsibility legislation is contained within the Road Traffic (Administration) Act 2008, the Road Traffic (Vehicles) Act 2012 and associated regulations.
CoR was officially implemented in 2015, after the Road Traffic (Vehicles) Regulations 2014 came into force, and it was introduced to:- Improve road safety.
- Reduce damage to infrastructure.
- Promote a ‘level playing field’ for industry.
- Improve deterrence and enforcement.
- Improve business efficiency and compliance.
- Consignors – a person or company commissioning the transport of goods.
- Packers – a person who puts the goods in packages, containers or pallets for transport, or supervises or manages this activity.
- Drivers – the person driving the vehicle.
- Vehicle Licence Holder – the person or company named on the vehicle licence.
- Consignee / Receivers – paying for the goods and / or taking possession of the load.
Whichever activity you perform in the ‘chain’, it is important that you take reasonable steps to ensure compliance with mass, dimension, loading and access requirements, specified under the Road Traffic (Vehicles) Act 2012 and associated regulations. You also have a legal obligation to ensure your conduct does not induce or reward the commission of a breach of these requirements.
If you operate a RAV on a public road, you must ensure it is within legal mass and dimension limits, the load is appropriately restrained or contained, and the vehicle is operating on an approved route.
As the sole authority to approve or decline RAV access, Main Roads Heavy Vehicle Services (HVS) is responsible for administering RAV access on all public roads in the State, which includes carrying out a thorough route assessment process to determine if roads are safe and suitable for RAV access.
The simplest way to identify the approved RAV Network and access conditions (if applicable) for a particular road is by using the RAV Mapping Tool on the Main Roads website at www.mainroads.wa.gov.au. If the road you require is not approved, you can apply to HVS to have it assessed for addition to the relevant RAV Network.
As part the assessment process, HVS will liaise with the relevant road manager to seek their comment and complete the necessary onsite assessments of the road to ensure it is safe and suitable for the requested RAV Network.
If the road is found suitable, HVS will advise both you and the road manager when it is added to the relevant RAV network and any applicable access conditions (if required). The approval will then be published in the RAV Mapping Tool, which is updated each Wednesday.
If a road is found unsuitable for the requested RAV network, HVS will advise both you and the road manager, including providing a summary of the road deficiencies and/or reasoning for the decision.
HVS is committed to finalising all route assessment applications within three months of receipt. However, assessments and approvals may be delayed for a variety of reasons, and HVS will maintain regular contact with you to keep you updated.
If you need to apply for roads to be added to a RAV Network for an upcoming transport task, you need to apply as early as possible to ensure the road is assessed and approved in time.
The application form to add a road to a RAV Network and all the other information about the route assessment process is available on the Access Requirements page on the Main Roads website.
For further information, please contact our Heavy Vehicle Helpdesk on 138 486 or email hvs@mainroads.wa.gov.au
Harvest Mass Management Scheme
What is the Harvest Mass Management Scheme ?
The Harvest Mass Management Scheme (HMMS) comes into effect between 1 October and the last day of February each year to assist the grain industry with managing the difficulties experienced when loading grain in a paddock. While this is not a concessional loading scheme, with Transport Operators expected to load to statutory mass limits, Main Roads acknowledges that there are limited weighing facilities in paddocks and variations in grain densities.
As such, the HMMS allows a vehicle to exceed a statutory mass requirement by up to 10 per cent, to a maximum of 10 tonnes on the gross mass, subject to the conditions specified in the HMMS Business Rules. Once delivered and weighed at the Grain Receiver, the loads should be adjusted accordingly for the next delivery, which eliminates overloading and works toward achieving fully compliant loading practices for the remainder of the harvest season.
How to participate in the Scheme
To participate in the HMMS, Transport Operators are required to register with each participating Grain Receiver that they deliver to during the harvest period. This must be completed prior to any load being accepted by that Grain Receiver. An application to register a vehicle for use under the HMMS can be obtained and submitted directly to the participating Grain Receiver where deliveries will be made.
A written agreement must also be signed stating that the transport operator will abide by the HMMS Business Rules and any additional rules the participating Grain Receiver may have in place to ensure they meet their obligations under the scheme.
What roads can I access?
Transport Operators and farmers operating in the scheme need to ensure the roads they intend to use are approved for the particular RAV combination being used. Road ratings and approvals are available on the Main Roads RAV Mapping Tool at www.mainroads.wa.gov.au
If additional roads are required, the Transport Operator or farmer can apply for a road to be added to the relevant RAV network via the standard RAV route assessment application process. For further information on this, or to obtain an application form, visit the Access Requirements in WA page on the Main Roads website.
It should be noted however, that a Transport Operator cannot participate in the HMMS if they are operating under the Accredited Mass Management Scheme (AMMS) and their loading controls are relevant to the loading site they are transporting grain from.
Further Information
The HMMS Business Rules define the requirements which apply to each party involved in the scheme and can be found on the Harvest Mass Management Scheme page on the Main Roads website.
For more information please call Main Roads Heavy Vehicle Services Helpdesk on 138 486 or visit www.mainroads.wa.gov.au
