HVIA backs PBS pavement review but seeks answers on tyres and access

Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia has supported the proposed shift to a performance-based PBS pavement standard, while asking the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator to resolve questions about road access, tyre-pressure controls and existing vehicle designs.

HVIA submitted its response to the Pavement Horizontal Loading Standard review after gathering member feedback at a September webinar.

The association supports removing prescriptive requirements from the standard. Its submission says the practical benefits depend on how the new assessment and operating conditions are applied.

Access needs an answer

HVIA wants confirmation that combinations assessed under the revised standard will gain access to networks currently closed to vehicles needing exemptions from the existing prescriptive limits.

That is an outcome the association is seeking, rather than a confirmed opening of those roads.

Tyre controls and roadside checks

The submission asks the NHVR to define how “cold” tyre pressure should be measured and explain whether pressure controls would apply to individual tyres, axles or an entire vehicle unit.

HVIA favours automated monitoring or inflation systems over a manual inflation procedure. It also wants flexibility to set different pressures at different positions.

For roadside checks, the association proposes that a driver’s explanation of the fitted system, with confirmation it is operating, should demonstrate compliance. This is HVIA’s recommendation, not an adopted enforcement rule.

Keep existing designs workable

HVIA also warns that changes to an existing Design Approval could trigger reassessment, leaving otherwise similar vehicles with different operating conditions.

The review remains a proposal. The submission calls for these operational questions to be settled before the changes and commencement date are finalised.