Victorian Heavy Vehicle Roadmap

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Project summary

The Victorian Heavy Vehicle Roadmap (the Roadmap) is a Victorian Government initiative delivered by the Department of Transport (DoT) to streamline the current permit processing system and remove the cost and delays to industry when obtaining permits for heavy vehicles on Victoria’s road networks. In response to the significant increase in demand for heavy vehicles access due to Melbourne population growth, industry’s move to High Productivity Freight Vehicles (HPFVs), the roll-out of Victoria’s Big Build and the Government’s commitment to renewable energy, the 30 short-, medium- and long-term initiatives outlined in the Roadmap seek to streamline the permit processing system and remove costs and delay to industry when obtaining permits.

The Victorian Government, via the State budget and Regulatory Reform Incentive Fund, has allocated $7.5 million to delivering the medium- and long-term initiatives outlined in the Roadmap. This will fund:

The addition of 700km of approved arterial roads to the High Productivity Freight Vehicle (HPFV) network;
The development and publication of pre-approved maps for 6,7,8 and 9 axle cranes (predominantly used for major projects) and Platform trailers operating at up to 200 tonnes; and
The development of specifications for an automated structural assessment system that will provide near real-time bridge assessments with no cost or delay to industry

Details at a glance
Action Area	Smarter and targeted infrastructure investment; Enable improved supply chain efficiency; Better planning, regulation and coordination; and, Better freight location and performance data.
Delivery	Regulatory and systemic reform, and technological investment.
Location	Victoria.
Timeframe	2021 - 2023.
Financial	$7.5 million.

Closer look

Impact on freight and supply chains

Smarter and targeted infrastructure investment

Development is planned for an automated bridge assessment system that will automate DoT’s vehicle impact assessment process and provide the same level of heavy vehicle permit access without increasing exposure to infrastructure asset risk. It will remove DoT’s $1.5 million per year cost pressure and reduce the cost recovery needed from industry while reducing structural assessment processing times, providing time and cost reduction for industry.

DoT will enhance asset knowledge by developing and implementing a bridge utilisation and renewal strategy, along with a research and investigation program to underpin capacity increases. A pipeline of structural renewal will be established for ongoing long-term investments. These will apply innovative probabilistic analysis to better predict bridge loading demands, and better understanding the safe capacities of DoT’s older structures to uplift the baseline constraints of the network. A holistic pipeline of asset renewal requirements over the medium to long term will help the State plan for the ongoing renewal of bridge assets.

Enable improved supply chain efficiency

Adding a further 3000km to the Victorian HPFV network and allowing HPFV access to the majority of the Principle Freight Network for the first time, representing 27 per cent of arterial roads, will reduce the number of HPFVs that will require a bridge assessment, further reducing time and cost for industry.

Publication of the A-Double Milk Tanker Network will reduce the number of A-Double milk tankers that require a bridge assessment, saving time and money for industry, encouraging investment in new tanker fleets and support the dairy supply chain.

Better planning, regulation and coordination

Use of data analytics provided by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) to determine which local government roads generate the most access requests from industry will enable engagement with local governments in order to pre-approve or gazette these roads, and enable DoT to take a pro-active approach in expanding last mile local government access for industry.

The publication of Performance Based Standards (PBS) and crane industry guides will address frequently asked operational and policy questions from industry in relation to the PBS Scheme and the access arrangements and conditions that apply to large mobile cranes. This supports industry in navigating the complexity of the different access options available to them.

By transitioning the Over-Dimensional Loads (ODL) Team responsible for OD access across rail to the Heavy Vehicle Consent (HVC) Team, DoT is streamlining the heavy vehicles permit consent process for industry through the removal of an additional touch point and process within government to obtaining a permit in Victoria. The planned move to an online portal will further simplify the process for industry.

The development of a program to manage the pipeline of upcoming Superloads (including Victoria’s Big Build and windfarms) and the implementation of project-based permits including high frequency and high volume Over Size Over Mass (OSOM) permits is facilitated more easily for industry. DoT is able to move from being reactive to taking a strategic and proactive approach by optimising movements, establishing preferred routes, and prioritising infrastructure development and upgrades.

A new Moving More With Less strategy site consolidates announcements on upcoming bridge strengthening initiatives and links to new map updates, providing the industry with improved access to up to date information regarding freight access and infrastructure improvements, and DoT’s network maps have been transitioned to the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator.

An independent expert will review the technical basis of DoT’s current assessment process and test whether the current approach to freight accessibility could be improved.

Better freight location and performance data

The implementation of the Telematics Access Portal (TAP) will enable DoT to conduct research with the real-time data gathered from mobile cranes and HPFVs, and benefit industry by increasing mass and reducing trips and permits. It will also ensure a more streamlined and evidence-based approach to asset investment.

Mobile cranes and HPFVs are currently fitted with IAP, however the cheaper and more user-friendly form of telematics – the Telematics Monitoring Application (TMA) – that DoT will support the transition to, saving industry money while improving the quality of data gathered by the TAP.

DoT’s rollout of TAP will empower local Government to make smarter last kilometre access decisions further reducing number of permits, saving both time and cost for industry and pay the first-year subscription for all Victorian local government associations.

On-Board Mass Monitoring (OBMM) has been implemented, with data delivered through TAP that will not only ensure our infrastructure is protected, but allow DoT’s structural assessment team to refine their methodology, potentially increasing mass across the network and reducing the need for costly bridge assessments.

As part of the larger Drive Easy project, DoT plans to use real-time telematics to communicate important, time critical information to the heavy vehicle industry, whether it’s the introduction of heavy vehicle detours or awareness of an incident or emergency event by 2023. This will provide the heavy vehicle industry with up to date road information to reduce congestion, improve road safety outcomes and supply chain efficiencies, by minimising disruptions and delays.

Anticipated benefit	Description
Heavy Vehicle Licence Review	The Roadmap recognises that Victoria is leading the third and final stage of the Austroads Review of the National Heavy Vehicle Driver Competency Framework (SRL6259) which will address key government and industry concerns around licence categories and training, and is engaging closely with and collaborating across jurisdictions effectively and equitably implement change and alignment. The delivery timeframe for this review is planned for 2022/23.
Expanded access for High Productivity Freight Vehicles	As of January 2021, there are 921 registered HPFV combinations operating on the State’s network. GPS data provided by Transport Certification Australia also shows that Victoria registers more HPFVs than other jurisdictions. The expanded access reform has achieved: The addition of 3,000km of pre-approved roads to Victoria’s HPFV network, increasing the total percentage of approved arterial roads from 18% to 27%. A dedicated milk tanker network for the innovative 26.0 metre HPFV combinations that increasingly transport the bulk of Victoria’s raw milk (62% of the milk produced in Australia). Mandating On Board Mass Monitoring (OBMM) technology on all HPFVs by November 2021 will better protect Victoria’s bridge infrastructure by providing dynamic data on the mass of a HPFV, and will allow DoT to Gazette the State’s HPFV networks, removing the need for permits and further reducing red tape
Clarity around the movement and charging regime for Superloads	With a significant increase from just two Superload permits issued in Victoria in 2012, to over 400 hundred Superload movement applications for the West Gate Tunnel Project alone, and the West Winds Golden Plain windfarm expected to require 14 Superload movements of potentially unprecedented size in 2022, DoT is committed to reform delivery in this area. There is no consistent model for Superload permit applications across jurisdictions due to the uniqueness of each move, and each state’s network, protocols and structures. DoT, with in-principal support from some other states, is proposing Austroads conduct a review of Superload assessment charging models. In support of the Austroads work, the Roadmap reforms include the development of a Whole-of- Government Superload industry pricing and engagement strategy to be delivered by the end of 2021. The strategy will also address third party issues, particularly the delays and costs involved when a Superload needs to travel across a rail level crossing, with reforms to include the ability for operators to obtain a project wide permit that can be issued upfront to a transport operator and their contractors for the duration of the project, and provide certainty of movements and pricing during the planning phase.
Streamlining the Structural Assessment Process	DoT commissioned an expert provider to evaluate DoT’s bridge assessment methodology. The internal report made several key findings, including that: DoT’s methodology is comparable to international standards and more permissive than some, including the US and New Zealand DoT’s bridge formula is applied in a similar way to other jurisdictions DoT uses historic structural assessments where appropriate to determine access for OSOM loads; and DoT’s knowledge of its assets and capacity needs to improve in order to reduce the proportion of permit applications requiring structural assessment. DoT will be tackling these recommendations, in the short to medium term to encourage the expansion of the current pre-approved networks for HPFV combinations, OSOM configurations and All-Terrain Mobile cranes, as well as the need to reduce permit and assessment-related costs, with consideration being given to a subsidies-based program. In the longer term, the Roadmap proposes the development and implementation of a Heavy Vehicle Structural Assessment Permit System (HV-SAP System), that will automate the current structural assessment process and provide a real-time response to customers. This will significantly reduce delays as the assessment will be almost immediate, and fundamentally reduce costs to the customer and the State.
Bridge Strengthening, Remediation and Renewal	35 million has been allocated over the next two years on bridge strengthening and renewal works, including $13 million to strengthen key bridges on the Hume Highway in order to accommodate Superloads. A further $17.4 million will be invested in priority roads that support the Barwon South West Dairy Supply Chain, strengthening and replacing bridges for HPFV combinations. It is anticipated that the Roadmap will require significant funds for bridge strengthening and renewal over the coming years. DoT proposes to include FiBridge in 22 bridge strengthening projects. FiBridge technology is expected to revolutionise the management of bridge assets. Through the installation of advanced fibre-optic sensing technology, FiBridge can determine any changes in the performance and the health of a structure in real-time, enabling research and analysis for a better understanding of the capacity of the State’s assets.
Engagement in the Review of the Heavy Vehicle National Law	In responding to the 2018 Review, the Roadmap is being used as a guiding instrument. In particular, DoT has sought changes to the Law that would: Recognise that Major Projects take more time to coordinate than the 28-day period allowed for under the Law; Take a more technology adept approach to Telematics, such as recognising the roll-out of OBMM and other advanced and more cost-effective telematics solutions; and Recognise Third Parties, such as rail franchisees, as important players in the Road Manager consent process.

Project delivery

Stakeholder engagement

In the development phase, DoT engaged with with Class 2, Crane and Windfarm and Superloads industry segments and will deliver on communications opportunities across specifically designed channels. A Heavy Vehicle Consultation Group will be created with peak body stakeholders to complement the Rail Freight Working Group.

Benefit	Extent realised	Description
Intended Strategy Objective
Enable improved supply chain efficiency	Reasonable benefits realised	Completed: An increased 3000km of approved HPFV routes A further 700km of approved HPFV routes (Aug 21) On track for delivery 2021/22: A telematics access portal for each Victorian local government The official beginning of Smart On-Board Mass (OBM) and the introduction of the Telematics Monitoring Application (TMA) The publication of multiple new Platform maps for the heavy haulage industry The publication of multiple new maps for 6&7 and 8&9-axle cranes Two new low loader maps (59.5 tonnes and 78.5 tonnes)
Better planning, regulation and coordination	Minor benefits realised	Completed: Gazettal Notice will streamline access for HPFV operators by removing the need to obtain a permit to access Victoria’s HPFV networks (Sep 21) On track for delivery 2021/22: A Superload Policy Fact Sheet to be published on the VicRoads/DoT website. Publication of a Heavy Haulage Strategy
Better freight location and performance data	Minor benefits realised	On track for delivery 2021/22: A telemiatics access portal for each Victorian local government The official beginning of Smart On-Board Mass (OBM) and the introduction of the Telematics Monitoring Application (TMA)