NatRoad has praised the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator for its fee freeze announced today. Warren Clark CEO of NatRoad said that fees and charges imposed by all road agencies should follow suit and that governments should consider a freeze on road tolls and other charges that are adversely affecting members’ bottom lines.
The freeze will apply to all National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme (NHVAS) module and nominated vehicle fees: there are currently around 7,500 heavy vehicle operators accredited across 12,300 modules. The Maintenance module applies to more than 115,000 heavy vehicle units, while the Mass module applies to more than 43,000 heavy vehicles.
The fee freeze will also apply to permit applications where the NHVR coordinates more than 70,000 heavy vehicle access permits a year, liaising with state, territory and local governments. Clark added that “there are too many permit requirements and access reform needs to be accelerated, including in advance of the Heavy Vehicle National Law review now underway. NHVR should not have to process so many permits: the system should be much more sensible and based around pre-agreed route standards.”
Fees for Victorian escort services will also be frozen until January 2021, while the cost of a new Written Work Diary will remain at $25 for 2020-21.
For the list of NHVR fees visit www.nhvr.gov.au/law-policies/fee-schedule
