About the Heavy Vehicle Access Management System

The Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) consulted with other state jurisdictions and the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) to investigate and analyse different heavy vehicle access management systems in use across Australia.

We concluded the Tasmanian Heavy Vehicle Access Management System (HVAMS) presents the best solution to meet the needs of TMR, road managers and Queensland's Class 1 heavy vehicle industry operators.

The Tasmanian HVAMS was developed by the Tasmanian Department of State Growth (TDSG) in consultation with Tasmanian road managers, heavy vehicle operators, industry bodies and the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR), to introduce HVAMS to the Oversize Overmass industry in 2016.

Since this time, and due to its success, TDSG have expanded HVAMS to include Special Purpose Vehicles including mobile cranes.

Importantly, HVAMS will provide Queensland a pathway to be part of the National Automated Access System (NAAS).

In August 2022, all Australian Transport Ministers agreed to establish a new National Automated Access System for heavy vehicles (NAAS) within 3 years. This will provide a single seamless national system to automate decision making on at least 90% of current permit requests for all heavy vehicles within 5 years.

In July 2023, the Senior Officers of all Australian jurisdictions agreed that the NAAS will be based on HVAMS and informed by the HVAMS version 3.0 implementation projects underway in Tasmania, New South Wales and Queensland.

Austroads, the project manager, will oversee the development of the NAAS. TMR is working closely with Austroads to ensure there is synergy across all projects.

Austroads are the project manager to oversee the development of the NAAS and we are working closely with them to ensure there is synergy across our projects.

Benefits of the HVAMS

HVAMS helps road managers make better access decisions and provides the heavy vehicle industry with access certainty through a generated tailored map for their individual vehicle with associated access conditions.

Industry operators can use the map to:

• visually identify a viable route for a journey
• confirm any pilot and escort requirements, special travel conditions over bridges
• confirm other important information like time curfews and road closures.

This map is the legal access map, and their journey can start immediately.

Since HVAMS was introduced into Tasmania, it has been shown to significantly reduce administrative costs and permit related workloads for industry and road managers by automating the access decision making process.

HVAMS has many innovative solutions and benefits including:

• an access vehicle interface that collects vehicle parameters which are used by analysis tools within the system for access decision making
• modules for assessing heavy vehicle access requests against structures and roads
• a mapping interface to display the available network and conditions matched to the user's heavy vehicle, including access conditions (e.g. structure crossing conditions, road closures, pilot and escort requirements, curfews).

Refer to the TDSG information sheet (PDF, 452KB) for more about the Tasmanian HVAMS.

How access and permits will differ

Access under the current Multi-State Class 1 Load Carrying Vehicle Mass Exemption Notice 2023 will remain unchanged.

Access by Period Permit and Single Trip Permit will be replaced by access via a dynamic Notice in the Heavy Vehicle Access Management System (HVAMS) or a Special Access Permit.

Most Period Permit vehicles and some of the Single Trip permit vehicles will move to access through HVAMS, hence the HVAMS Notice box is shown larger.

Current permit applications

The current permit application and review processes for Class 1 heavy vehicles will remain unchanged while we are developing the new vehicle access regime.

These permit applications and review processes are governed by the Heavy Vehicle National Law and managed by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR).

When the new access regime starts, the expiry date of existing permits will be changed to match the date the new regime commenced.

If access is not available through the HVAMS, the sustainable access threshold may have been exceeded or there is a restriction preventing the access level sought under Notice. In this case, and application for a Special Access Permit will need to be made through the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) portal.

HVAMS replaces the Conditions of Operations Database

Under the new access regime, all Class 1 vehicle access conditions will be displayed in HVAMS and the TMR Conditions of Operations Database will be deactivated.

Current entries in the Conditions of Operation Database will be validated and its contents transferred to HVAMS.

When vehicle details are entered into HVAMS:

• a map will be produced for that individual vehicle to show roads and bridges available for that vehicle
• details of all relevant access conditions required and restrictions are provided.

Conditions will be specific to vehicle configuration inputs such as pilot-escort arrangements, along with other more general conditions such as curfew times and road closures. Before starting a journey, all routes with any conditions or restrictions will be shown to the operator to choose the best route available.

Road managers will maintain access conditions of operation within HVAMS as part of the new access regime.

Learn how to access HVAMS.