New Cubic Freight (HPFV) network announced in Victoria

Some great news has recently been announced for operators of Higher Productivity Freight Vehicles (HPFVs) in Victoria. VicRoads announced this month that 30-metre PBS-approved combinations will now be able to access a significant portion of the arterial road network provided the gross combination mass does not exceed 68.5 tonnes. “Operators with combinations up to 30.0 metres in length and 68.5 tonnes can access a significant portion of the arterial road network, providing that they comply with PBS Level 2 standards,” said Ian Mond, Acting Manager of Heavy Vehicle Productivity at VicRoads.

The requirements for this are an annual permit which can be applied for as long as the vehicles are certified to operate under Performance Based Standards (PBS) Level 2. In conjunction with this, the newly released publication includes a Level 2B map, making Victoria the first state to release a route network resource that addresses long vehicles with cubic/volumetric loads. “This is the first map that focuses solely on longer but lighter combinations,” Ian added.

A second key factor of the new policy is that approval is required from the Overdimensional Load team within Transport for Victoria for any vehicle longer than 26m that wishes to cross a rail level crossing.

A page showing the map and the associated policy can be found here, see heading: Performance Based Standards (PBS) Level 2B (Cubic).

For further information regarding Performance Based Standards, vehicle assessment, and road access queries, please contact Advantia.