Following the launch of a new heavy vehicle route planner last year, the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) is making a change to permit applications from this month.
The NHVR released the newest version of its route planner (to map and display approved routes by heavy vehicles), known as the Next Generation Route Planner (NGRP), in April 2022.
The regulator says the NGRP provides more real time data updates for improved reliability, quality and completeness of data for industry when planning journeys.
“Importantly, it supports the delivery of the NHVR’s new single national enforceable network map which will allow industry for the first time to plan and manage journeys across borders and is designed for heavy vehicle travel, rather than light vehicles,” NHVR said.
Since the NGRP was released, industry has been transitioning from using the legacy route planner as the routing engine for permit applications to using the NGRP.
“Our most recent permit application data shows that more than 90 per cent of new and amended permit applications are being submitted using the NGRP,” said NHVR.
“Based on this data, we believe it is an appropriate time to retire the legacy route planner and move forward with the NGRP.”
As a result, from July 17, 2023, the legacy route planner will be removed from the NHVR Portal, and all new and amended permit applications will need to be submitted using the NGRP.
“The NHVR does not anticipate any impact for operators using the NGRP. We continue to reach out to operators who are using the legacy route planner to assist with the transition to the NGRP,” the regulator added.
The NHVR says it has also been working with road managers to ensure the NGRP maps are as accurate as possible. “This includes making sure that all road managers have the right ownership of roads so that access permit consent is sought from the correct road manager.
“This means if the NGRP recognises a road owner change, it will trigger an amendment to a permit application, rather than a renewal.
“To help manage this change and reduce any impact to operators, the NHVR has established a specialised team that are working through all renewals ahead of permit renewal dates to ensure they are assigned to the correct road owner.”
For more information, contact the NHVR on 13NHVR (13 64 87) or info@nhvr.gov.au.
The NHVR will be running Q&A sessions via Microsoft Teams. For details on when these will be running, email spatial@nhvr.gov.au.
More information about the NGRP is available at the NHVR website.