Access the Heavy Vehicle Access Management System

Access to the Heavy Vehicle Access Management System (HVAMS) will be through the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) Portal. Industry operators enter vehicle combination details including dimensions and mass, and telematics details for vehicle eligibility directly into HVAMS.

The system will:

• confirm the vehicle is eligible for Notice access and issues the operator with a vehicle identification number for future use
• assess road and bridge access automatically against the actual vehicle
• generate a state-wide access map for the operator's unique vehicle combination with roads and bridges displayed as unconditional, conditional, or no access
• identify a viable route for a journey
• and
• confirm any pilot and escort requirements
• confirm special travel conditions over bridges
• include other important information (e.g. time curfews and road closures).

The map generated is the legal access map that allows a journey to start.

No access

There may be instances where the mass and dimensions a vehicle operates under the current regime are not available under Notice access. If you find a bridge or road on your preferred route is labelled as 'no access', you have the following 4 options:

1. Reduce the load mass and amend your combination details.
2. Amend the combination details and change the vehicle configuration such as adding additional axles to spread the load across more axles to reduce the individual axle masses.
3. Plan the journey around the no access bridges and roads.
4. Apply for a Special Access Permit (via the NHVR Portal) if these options do not yield a viable route for the journey under Notice.

The advantage of HVAMS is that the operator will be advised of all restricted bridges and roads quickly and will be able to explore options to facilitate Notice access in real-time within HVAMS.

Apply for a Special Access Permit

If HVAMS does not provide a viable route for the journey under Notice or the vehicle does not comply with the HVAMS entry criteria and entry dimension envelope of 5.4m high, 8m wide or 45m long, you'll need to apply for a Special Access Permit and individual engineering assessment.

How to apply

Apply for a Special Access Permit through the NHVR Portal in the same way as the current access regime.

For our engineering assessment, you'll need to verify that:

• all options to operate in a sustainable way under HVAMS have been explored
• there are no visible alternative vehicles/combinations available
• the mass/dimension of the load cannot be reduced any further
• there is no viable network in HVAMS available
• the vehicle and load mass details are verified
• the vehicle is fitted with complying telematics
• a special circumstance exists.

Bridges and roads on the requested route will be assessed by TMR engineers for the vehicle combination. Assessment timings will be in accordance with National Heavy Vehicle Law consent timeframes.

When access is accepted

If access is acceptable, we will approve the requested route with individualised travel conditions and a permit duration based on the movement need. We will no longer be approving blanket 12-month permits.

We expect Special Access Permit applications will be rare and infrequent and will be reserved for special circumstances such as emergency and major infrastructure projects.

Road networks to be included in HVAMS

HVAMS will include other road manager road-networks beside TMRs state-controlled roads. We are currently consulting with the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA), Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ), individual local councils and other road managers to integrate other road and bridge information into the HVAMS as part of a staged process beginning late 2024.

The ALGA Board of Directors has endorsed HVAMS as the preferred access model for a National Automated Access System (NAAS) because of the benefits HVAMS offers local councils.

We understand the importance of including other road manager networks into HVAMS because they are important for first and last mile access and importance for industry operators and road managers to realise all the system's productivity benefits.

How road managers take part and access HVAMS

We are using a staged approach to work with other road managers to integrate their road data into HVAMS, focusing on local road networks that have the highest number of Class 1 Oversize Overmass movements first. As part of our approach, we are working through our data requirements for entry into HVAMS and will work with other road managers on how they can be part of the new access regime.

Where other road managers have existing access pre-approvals in place with the NHVR, or data from the Strategic Local Government Asset Assessment Project (SLGAAP), we'll assist road managers to transition this information into HVAMS.