This rule sets out requirements to ensure that heavy vehicles and heavy-vehicle combinations (over 3500 kg GVM) can brake safely, with balanced brake performance, at any road-legal load condition.
Note: Both of these pages will also provide links to the consultation material – such as summary of submissions and FAQs (questions and answers) – for each version and amendment.
Questions and answers are provided to accompany a new rule or amendment when they are signed. These and other consultation documents on this page have not been updated to take into account any later rule amendments and are retained for historic interest only.
Land Transport Rule: Omnibus Amendment 2013 (‘the Omnibus Amendment Rule’) is a document prepared for public consultation that contains proposals to change requirements in a number of existing Land Transport Rules. Annual Omnibus Amendment Rules provide a means for consulting on relatively straightforward Rule changes that are mainly of a technical or editorial nature, or that originate, for example, from the need to reflect current industry best practice or changes to other legislation.
For the purposes of consultation, proposed amendments to nine Land Transport Rules were combined into the Omnibus Amendment Rule. Following consultation, the provisions in the Omnibus Amendment Rule were split into the following amendment Rules:
The number of relatively minor changes to several Land Transport Rules is necessary for a variety of reasons. These include:
The changes to each Rule are summarised below.
Heavy-vehicle Brakes 2006
The changes will:
Light-vehicle Brakes 2002
The changes replace the term ‘scratch-built vehicle’ with a reference to ‘low volume vehicles’ and delete the definition of ‘scratch-built vehicle’.
Road User 2004
The change amends the definition of ‘school bus’ to enable an operator to choose to operate the vehicle as a school bus on school function trips.
Seatbelts and Seatbelt Anchorages 2002
The changes replace the term ‘scratch-built vehicle’ with a reference to ‘low volume vehicles’ and remove the definition of ‘scratch-built vehicle’.
Traffic Control Devices 2004
The changes will:
Vehicle Dimensions and Mass 2002
The change clarifies that overdimension vehicles exceeding 3.1 m width may use the southern section of the Auckland Southern Motorway.
Vehicle Exhaust Emissions 2007
The changes amend the definition of ‘new vehicle’, to replace the term ‘scratch-built vehicle’ with a reference to ‘low volume vehicles’, and remove the definition of ‘scratch-built vehicle’.
Vehicle Lighting 2004
The changes will:
Vehicle Standards Compliance 2002
The change amends the definition of ‘new’, to replace the reference to ‘scratch-built vehicle’ with a reference to ‘low volume vehicles’. The amendment to the Vehicle Standards Compliance Rule also deletes the definition of ‘scratchbuilt vehicle’ in ten other Land Transport Rules in which the definition occurs but the term is otherwise not used.
All the amendment Rules come into force on 1 January 2014. Until the amendment Rules come into force, the current requirements continue to apply.
Yes. On 28 June 2013, the NZ Transport Agency advised about 2400 groups and individuals registered on the Rules consultation database, by letter or email, of the proposed changes and invited them to make submissions. Printed copies of the Omnibus Amendment Rule and a summary of the proposed changes were made available on request. The Omnibus Amendment Rule and information material were also available on the NZ Transport Agency’s website.
Public notices seeking submissions were published in the daily newspapers in the major centres (Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin) and in the New Zealand Gazette. The NZ Transport Agency received 22 submissions on the amendment proposals. The submissions were taken into account in preparing the amendment Rules for signing.
The Land Transport Act 1998 allows the Minister of Transport to make Land Transport Rules.
Final rules are available on our website. Printed copies of Land Transport Rules can be purchased from selected bookshops throughout New Zealand that sell legislation.
The Rules, except the Road User Rule, can also be purchased from the Rule printers and distributors, Wickliffe Solutions, PO Box 932 Dunedin 9054, or by telephoning (06) 353 2700. The Road User Rule is available from Legislation Direct (telephone (04) 568 0005). Rules can also be inspected at the National Office and regional offices of the NZ Transport Agency.
A newsletter outlining the Rule changes is sent to the groups and individuals who have registered their interest in Rules that have been amended. Where necessary, the NZ Transport Agency will advise relevant industry groups of the changes. It will also update any relevant Factsheets or other information material available on its website to reflect the changes brought about by the amendment Rules.
