Dangerous goods tank design applications

If you will be transporting dangerous goods in a tank – either forming part of the vehicle, or attached to the vehicle – you need to have the tank design approved by the Department of Transport and Main Roads before it can be used for the transport of dangerous goods by road.

Fee

The application fee is $302.20 (current to 30 June 2024). You must pay the fee at a transport and motoring customer service centre prior to posting your application.

Note: On 1 July 2023 our fees and charges increased by 3.4% in line with the government's indexation policy.

Application checklist

Dangerous goods tank design applications must include:

• a cover letter explaining the purpose of the application
• a copy of the application fee receipt (payable at any transport and motoring customer service centre)
• a statement of compliance that addresses every applicable clause of the relevant standards (2 copies)
• layout drawings of the vehicle, with the tank attached (2 copies). These must outline the required measurements for compliance to the applicable standards (for example, road and cabin to tank clearances and stability measurements)
• the previous design approval number – for a 're-horse' of a previously approved tank design
• a copy of the approval notice and approval number issued by Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ) – for applications involving pressure vessels, where the pressure vessel has been approved to AS1210 or other applicable standards (2 copies)
• the signature of a Registered Practising Engineer in Queensland* (RPEQ) on every page of the application.

* The Board of Professional Engineers of Queensland administers the Queensland Professional Engineers Act 2002 and prohibits persons who are not registered from providing professional engineering services in Queensland.

If the design is approved by the department, 1 of your layout drawings will be stamped and returned to you. The other copy will be retained by the department.

Cover letter

The cover letter must contain the following:

• applicant/owner name (to whom the approval will be issued)
• contact details (postal address, phone number and email address)
• purpose and description of the tanker (including configuration details, tanker capacity, compartment sizes and products to be transported)
• engineering certification from a RPEQ engineer validating the submission and certifying that the design complies with the nominated standards
• summary of the contents of the submission (for example, compliance statements, drawings, attachments and photos).

Compliance statements

The compliance statements are prepared by the RPEQ engineer and must clearly outline how the design achieves compliance and, where relevant, reference supplied drawings, details, calculations and photographs. The information supplied must be comprehensive and satisfy the department that the design is safe for transporting dangerous goods.

Where a clause in the standard is for information purposes – such as scope and definitions – the engineer should write 'understood, read and noted' or 'understood, responsibility of owner' (or similar). Similarly, if a clause in the standard is not relevant to the application, the engineer should write 'understood, not relevant to this design'.

The following table is an example of an acceptable compliance statement:

Drawings

All drawings must contain enough detailed information to support claims of compliance against the relevant standards. Supply the drawings on A3 sized paper to allow the details to be easily read and understood. All notes, dimensions and figures must be able to be read without magnification.

You must clearly identify symbols in an appropriate legend on each drawing, and every drawing must be signed and dated by a RPEQ engineer certifying compliance.

You must include an overall layout drawing with the application, as well as other drawings outlining specific details (for example, method of tank attachment). This overall layout drawing must show the fully configured vehicle including the location of fire extinguishers, placards and emergency stop buttons.

The drawing must also show the:

• ground clearance to the lowest tank component
• cabin to tank clearance
• impact protection distance from the rear of the tank to impact surface and stability variables (width and height from the ground to centroid of tank).

Refer to the relevant standards for a complete list of the variables that you need to show in the drawings. Your application may be delayed if you don't include all the information required.

You may include photographs in your application to show the design and prove compliance.

Submitting your application

Send your application to:

Industry and Operator Authorisation Unit
Department of Transport and Main Roads
PO Box 673
FORTITUDE VALLEY  QLD  4006

Australian Standards

The following Australian Standards outline the specifications for design, construction, testing, maintenance and inspection of road tank vehicles (as referenced in chapter 6.9 of the Australian Dangerous Goods Code):

These Australian Standards can be purchased from SAI Global.

Approval process and guidelines

Approval of a tank design by the department only applies to use of the vehicle in Queensland. If the road tank vehicle will be used in other states, make this known in your application. The approval will then be submitted to the Competent Authorities Panel (CAP) for national endorsement, which will allow the use of the vehicle in other states.

You may manufacture multiple units of the same approved design (differentiating individual units by the manufacturer's serial number). However, if any changes are made to the department's approved design, you must submit a new tank design application to the department, along with the required fee.

Similarly, you must submit a new tank design application, along with the required fee, to the department, if a tank is removed from a road tank vehicle that has an existing tank design approval and fitted to another vehicle (known as 're-horsing').

For more information about the application process or which Australian Standards apply for a dangerous goods tanker, contact the Department of Transport and Main Roads at dgu@tmr.qld.gov.au.