State-of the art sensor technology is now scanning trucks in real time and giving drivers time to adjust their load or replan their route before they can cause an overheight incident on the Sydney road network.
The six-month trial will see trucks taller than four metres scanned as they pass under the sensor, and their height and number plate information will be gathered and instantaneously displayed to drivers on the overhead Variable Message Sign (VMS).
The first site is now live on the southbound lanes of the M1 Pacific Motorway at the Mount White Heavy Vehicle Safety Station which is operated by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR).
Another sensor is being installed on the Hume Highway at Pheasants Nest, with other arterial sites being considered on the M4 and Princes Motorway.
“This is fantastic news for our truckies and the wider community using NSW roads,” said Road Freight NSW (RFNSW) CEO Simon O’Hara, a member of the overheight taskforce assembled by NSW Roads Minister John Graham.
“From day 1, when we experienced several overheight incidents last year. RFNSW called on the government to engage with industry, to develop an awareness campaign and preventative measures which would better educate drivers about the varying height limits in tunnels across the Sydney road network, particularly for those new drivers, or for those from interstate or from outside of Sydney.
“Minister Graham listened and acted on our concerns and the establishment of the Overheight Trucks Taskforce has certainly demonstrated what has been collectively achieved in dramatically reducing the number of incidents involving overheight trucks.”
The Minns government has introduced a zero-tolerance approach to overheight trucks, including six-month registration bans for offending trucks.
The crackdown has resulted in a dramatic drop in overheight incidents in Sydney tunnels. In the first six months of the taskforce’s operation (July to December 2023) there was a 67 per cent decrease in total closure time minutes and a 32 per cent reduction in incidents, the lowest level in seven years.
Over the same period, the Sydney Harbour Tunnel, the most disrupted route, saw an 80 per cent reduction in closure minutes and a 58 per cent reduction in incidents.
The reduction in incidents has continued across the network in 2024, with 26 recorded overheight incidents between January and June, 62 per cent fewer than the same period in 2023.
“I want to thank the vast majority of truckies who always know their height and their route,” added Graham.
“This technology is an awareness, not enforcement tool, it arms drivers with the right information so they can make the right decisions on the road.”