If crane operators meet requirements, travel permits are no longer required for travelling in Queensland.
A joint collaboration between the Crane Industry Council of Australia (CICA), the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ), and the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) in 2016/17, resulted in all Queensland council road managers (excluding a few remote councils in far north Queensland) consenting to the National Class 1 Special Purpose Vehicles Notice.
This means that crane operators meeting requirements of the notice no longer require permits when travelling in Queensland, unless access is needed within a restricted area (often a restricted structure).
2019 – Queensland SPV Network Development
Following the success of the 2016/17 collaboration, the LGAQ, CICA and the NHVR are collaborating once again, this time with a focus on the development of networks for all-terrain cranes (a vehicle type of SPVs). With the NHVR’s Return of Delegations project likely to transition the responsibility for issuing permits from the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) back to the NHVR before the end of 2019, the development of networks for SPVs is vital in ensuring a smooth transition.
To assist councils in understanding the benefits and risks involved in the movement of SPVs, the LGAQ facilitated 12 Heavy Vehicle Workshops throughout Queensland. These workshops were attended by 40 different councils and over 100 council officers.
The agenda included technical engineering information about SPVs (impacts on pavements/structures and conditions of operation) and a presentation from CICA representative David “Chalky” White, who was able to provide an operator’s perspective.
To date, 18 councils have provided access by exclusion to certain categories of all-terrain cranes, with many of the other attending councils currently investigating how they can assist the SPV industry, whilst ensuring any impacts on their network are safely managed.
The work to date demonstrates the importance of collaboration and how sharing information, knowledge and raising issues constructively can lead to achieving shared objectives such as; increased/safer access for industry and reduction in administrative burden on councils, while ensuring vulnerable council assets are protected.