This rule sets out requirements and standards for heavy vehicle safety. It applies to vehicles with a gross vehicle mass of more than 3500kg.
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.
The Land Transport Safety Authority (LTSA) is well-advanced in a programme of converting existing land transport regulations, policy statements, Gazette notices and other similar requirements into Land Transport Rules. Land Transport Rules consolidate and help clarify the existing requirements. They also propose new requirements. Rules are drafted in plain language so that they are readily understandable, thereby improving the ability of people to comply with the requirements.
There are two main safety reasons for making Land Transport Rule: Heavy Vehicles (the Heavy Vehicles Rule):
The rule will cover all heavy vehicles. This means all vehicles with a gross vehicle mass (GVM) exceeding 3500 kg, including trucks, trailers, semi-trailers and buses.
The rule aims to improve safety for road users by requiring that:
The rule includes a number of consolidated and clarified requirements. The important ones to note are set out below:
Chassis and body strength, body attachment
The rule requires that the chassis and the body of a heavy vehicle must be strong enough for the operating conditions for which it was constructed. The rule also contains requirements for the body-to-chassis attachment.
Cab-guards
The rule requires that trucks that are constructed to carry timber logs have cab-guards. The requirements for the cabguards and the way they are fitted to trucks are also specified in the rule.
Requirements for various components
The rule requires that components such as axles, suspension systems, transmissions, driveshafts and ballrace turntables are of adequate strength and be fitted according to the specification of their manufacturers.
Containment of the load
The rule requires that a vehicle that is constructed to carry a load, has the proper means to contain the load. In many cases, the vehicle will be required to be fitted with load anchorage points. However, in the case of closed bodies, tipping bodies or tank bodies, which are designed to contain the load, load anchorage points are not required.
Are there any new requirements in the rule?
Yes, there are three new requirements in the Heavy Vehicles Rule that are compulsory for the affected vehicles.
New requirement for all heavy vehicles:
New requirements for some types of heavy vehicles:
Voluntary alternative requirements for all heavy vehicles
Heavy vehicles must meet a range of safety requirements before they can be certified for entry into the fleet and must undergo periodic Certificate of Fitness (CoF) in-service inspections.
The rule also clarifies and consolidates the types of modifications and repairs that require certification by specialist certifiers. Certification is required in connection with:
The rule will not directly affect the present CoF regime in any appreciable way.
However, another rule, Land Transport Rule: Vehicle Standards Compliance 2002, brings heavy tractors and machines operated on the road at a speed greater than 30 km/h into the warrant of fitness regime. WoF inspections now check equipment such as towing connections on these vehicles.
A vehicle that fails to comply with the requirements in the Heavy Vehicles Rule may be unsafe for the operator or other road users. In addition, a non-complying vehicle will not be issued with a WoF or a CoF at its next inspection. Roadside enforcement officers may also fine the operator of the vehicle and take other measures as necessary, such as ordering the vehicle off the road, if it is found not to comply with this rule because it may not be safe to be operated on the road.
The Land Transport Act 1998 does not allow rules to contain penalty and offence provisions. However, penalties and offences for non-compliance with the rule will be included in the Land Transport (Offences and Penalties) Regulations 1999.
The rule incorporates by reference all of the present New Zealand standards and codes that are currently contained in legislation. These include:
The rule incorporates by reference the following New Zealand and international standards:
The rule includes (as schedules) the following codes of best practice:
The new electrical requirements do not have a lead-in period because they are based on current industry practice and are not subject to certification.
The rule requires TTMF-coded drawbeams and drawbars to be recertified or withdrawn from service and the equipment locking devices to be installed by the first CoF within a year after the rule takes effect. These new requirements, therefore, have a lead-in period of a maximum of 18 months.
Yes, there are alternative requirements for tractor and agricultural trailer towing connections in the rule. These are much simpler than the previous requirements, and are based on submissions received on the LTSA discussion document: On Road Use and Regulation of Agricultural and Contracting Machinery.
The rule contains a set of requirements for the towing connections of tractors and agricultural trailers that are an alternative to certification to the New Zealand standard, NZS 5446.
However, none of these requirements nor certification to NZS 5446, would apply to two-point and three-point agricultural linkages, because these coupling devices are very robust and have a good safety record.
Yes. The rule incorporates special requirements for heavy vehicle-recovery-service vehicles (tow trucks). These requirements are updated, simplified and clarified requirements based on the current version of the Ministry of Transport’s Vehicle Recovery Code.
The Heavy Vehicle Rule applies to all 125,000 heavy vehicles in the New Zealand fleet. However, the new requirements will only affect a small proportion – approximately 6% – of these vehicles.
It is estimated that less than 4% of the heavy vehicle fleet (less than 4000 vehicles) will have to fit a slideway endstop or an alarm or signalling device. The new requirement for recertification or replacement of TTMF-coded drawbeams will affect approximately 2000 trucks and trailers. Of these, it is estimated that about 200 drawbeams and drawbars could be recertified, while the rest are likely to require replacement because of their condition and the cost of recertification of old components.
Yes, generic vehicle requirements relating to matters such as glazing and mirrors, steering systems, external projections, tyres and wheels, and vehicle dimensions and mass are already covered in other Land Transport Rules.
Heavy vehicles must also meet applicable requirements in transport regulations for brakes, lights and other equipment.
Most of the legal requirements for heavy vehicles previously existed in the Heavy Motor Vehicle Regulations 1974, the Goods Service Vehicle (Constructional) Regulations 1936 and the Traffic Regulations 1976. These regulations and various New Zealand Gazette notices prescribed the requirements that heavy vehicles must comply with before being allowed on the road, and when being operated on the road.
The new requirements that have an additional cost apply only to a small number of heavy vehicles.
Yes, New Zealand has a significantly higher rate of heavy vehicle crashes compared with countries such as Canada and Australia (see table below). However, our rate of crashes per 100 million heavy- vehicle kilometres travelled (VKT) is falling even though the number of heavy vehicles on our roads and the distances they now travel has significantly increased.
| Country | Crashes per 100 million VKT |
|---|---|
| USA | 1.7 |
| UK | 1.8 |
| Canada | 2.1 |
| Germany | 2.2 |
| Australia | 2.5 |
| France | 4.4 |
| New Zealand | 5.5 |
19. Has anything else been done to improve the safety of road users from heavy-vehicle crashes?
Yes, the following measures aimed at improving the safety of heavy-vehicles are in place or are being developed:
The Land Transport Act 1998 provides for the Minister of Transport to make Land Transport Rules that govern the safety and licensing of vehicles.
Section 155(a) and (b) of the Act states that rules may set out standards and requirements concerning vehicles, including their construction, repair, maintenance, modification, and requirements concerning systems, components, devices, fittings, or equipment to be incorporated in the construction of, fitted to, or carried in or on motor vehicles, or to be used by the driver or any other person.
Yes. The yellow draft of the Heavy Vehicles Rule was released in December 2002 for public comment. The draft was distributed to more than 500 interested parties and stakeholder groups and was available on the LTSA’s website.
There were 33 submissions in total, mainly from industry organisations such as the Road Transport Forum, Federated Farmers, the Automobile Association and the Road Transport Certifying Engineers group.
While the overall policy of the rule did not change, the rule was made clearer and easier to understand for the reader. In response to submissions, some requirements were relaxed if the proposed requirement was seen to be too onerous. For example, it was proposed in the consultation draft that cab-guards or headboards would be required to meet an NZS structural steel welding standard. This is no longer required.
The rule will come into force on 1 April 2005.
A printed copy of the rule will be available for purchase from selected bookshops throughout New Zealand that sell government legislation. A copy can also be obtained by contacting the printers and distributors (Wickliffe) at freephone 0800 226 440.
Final rules are available on our website(external link)
To obtain further information about the rule please phone the LTSA Helpdesk on freephone 0800 699 000.
