Tasmania and the ACT have adopted National Heavy Vehicle Inspection Manual Version 2, and will now hold operators to new inspection standards.

The standard will come into place in the other states and territories on July 1, but Tasmania and the ACT are bringing it in a few months earlier, as is South Australia.

The manual applies to vehicles with a Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) greater than 4.5 tonnes.

For Tasmania, it means the Tasmanian Heavy Vehicle Inspection Manual (THVIM) is now out the window, while the ACT is moving up from NHVIM Version 1.

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) says it will not be a drastic change for the ACT.

“Most of the differences are minor in nature and are based around ensuring inspection criteria are clear and to reflect advances in vehicle design and construction,” NHVR documents state.

The full 98-page document is available here.

“The manual provides authorised officers, vehicle examiners and operators a nationally consistent set of criteria used to conduct heavy vehicle inspections and sets a foundation for improving heavy vehicle roadworthiness,” says NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto.

“With a single set of national inspection criteria, we can work with operators to introduce a proactive approach to roadworthiness that includes preventative maintenance enhancing the safety of their vehicles.”

Infrastructure and municipal services ministers from both the ACT and Tasmania have praised their respective regions’ forward thinking.

Tasmania has elected to keep its particular requirements for buses, motor homes, caravans, and campervans, which will be checked on top of the standards laid out in the national system,

The island state is interested in maintaining a higher bar for school bus warning systems, bus entrances and exits, emergency exits, seating, aisle width on buses, and living quarters for several vehicle types.

At the launch of the new manual late last year, ATA CEO Christopher Melham said the NHVR should look at a training and awareness program so that its heavy vehicle inspectors “interpret and apply the standards in a uniform and nationally consistent manner”.

“With a single set of uniform standards to work from, trucking operators can avoid the frustration of enforcement officers applying different standards in different states and territories,” Melham said.