The National Heavy Vehicle Law applies to Queensland, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.
This article refers to the NHVR States and the ACT. Western Australia and Northern Territory operate under their respective laws and are not covered in this article.
However, WA and NT use VSB 6 as their primary guide to vehicle modifications and is commonly used by approved persons in those locations. Heavy Vehicles are motor vehicles and trailers with a manufacturer’s GVM or ATM exceeding 4500 kg.
Section 85 of the National Heavy Vehicle Law states that a person must not modify a heavy vehicle unless the modification has been approved by an approved vehicle examiner (AVE) under Section 86 or the Regulator under Section 87.
A modification is a safety- or compliance-change from the manufacturer’s specification.
Approved vehicle examiner means a person approved as a vehicle examiner under the national regulations. The various states use different terminologies for their AVEs. Victorian AVEs are called VASS and South Australian AVEs are called RES Tasmania’s are AVCs).
The individual states authorise resident AVEs, except for Queensland where AVEs are now managed by the Regulator. Ultimately the Regulator will manage all AVEs if and when the states transfer the responsibilities to the NHVR, but that has been a long time coming.
All Certificates and Approval/Modification Plates or labels issued under Section 86 of the National Law are accepted in all NHVR jurisdictions. Western Australia and the NT have an approved examiner list. Certificates issued in these jurisdictions are not nationally recognised.
Section 87 of the National Law provides for the NHVR to issue approvals for alterations that are not covered by, or do not meet the requirements of VSB6.
This is not the usual process but is available where required. Applications for Section 87 approval are submitted direct to the Regulator. Using an AVE to help with this process is advisable.
Vehicle Standards Bulletin 6 (VSB6) V3.2: National Code of Practice Heavy Vehicle Modifications is the national standard for the most common modifications made to heavy vehicles.
Under the NHVR Code of Practice for the Approval of Heavy Vehicle Modifications (PDF, 506KB) the NHVR has set VSB6 as the primary standard used by Approved Vehicle Examiners (AVEs) to approve modifications to heavy vehicles.
The Code is freely available on the NHVR website.
The Code includes all administrative and technical requirements for modification approval VSB 6 and includes Inspection Checklists and Reports to be completed by the AVE. These are retained by the AVE and may be requested to be supplied to the Regulator or accrediting authority.
The technical requirements in VSB 6 include requirements for Engines (Section A), Transmissions (Section B), Tail Shafts (Section C), Rear Axles and wheels (Section D), Front Axles, steering and wheels (Section E), Suspension (Section F), Brakes (Section G), Chassis (Section H), Body Mounting (Section J), Cabin (Section K), Fuel Systems (Section M), Tow Couplings (Section P), Vehicle Mounted Lifting Systems (Section R), Vehicle Ratings (Section S) and Tow Trucks (Section T). All modifiers should read the relevant sections when planning the work.
The above is a simplification of the requirements. Full details, including breaking each VSB 6 section into sub-sections, need to be read to understand the various requirements.
VSB 6 is available online via the NHVR Web Site.
VSB 6 provides guidance for AVEs and is a useful document for vehicle modifiers. However, there is a risk of rework or component replacement if modifiers use VSB 6 without consulting an AVE prior to commencing any alterations.
The AVE will understand the intricacies of the requirements and will give guidance above and beyond what is in VSB 6. The rule does not address the higher-level modelling assessments required in some cases that need an AVE with the education and training required to determine that compliance is achieved.
The Tow Truck Design (Section T2) and Tipper Body Design (Section J4) requirements are sections that need a higher engineering knowledge than some other sections and as a consequence, not all AVEs will be granted accreditation for these two codes. Other codes may also not be granted to all AVEs.
Bob Edwards
ARTSA-I Life Member
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