Announcement date
28 September 2023
Link to announcement
https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/brown/media-release/facilitating-safer-trucks-australia
Problem being addressed
The Australian Design Rules (ADRs) are indirectly limiting the supply of safer and cleaner heavy freight vehicles through two principal means. The first is the vehicle width limit of 2.50 m, which is the same as Japan, but narrower than other major markets including the European Union and the United States. The second is the absence in the ADRs of exclusions for various types of devices for indirect vision (i.e. mirrors and cameras) and blind spot information systems (e.g. for the detection of vehicles, bicyclists and/or pedestrians) from the measurement of vehicle width and/or length. This IA focusses on policy options to better regulate these aspects of vehicle design.
Proposal
The proposal is to introduce regulatory reforms that are designed to increase take up of safer, cleaner heavy freight vehicles (goods vehicles over 4.5 tonnes Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) and trailers over 4.5 tonnes Aggregate Trailer Mass (ATM)) in the Australian market.
The Impact Analysis (IA) prepared by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts (the Department) presented two alternative options (in addition to the status quo) designed to increase the take up of safer heavy freight vehicles in Australia:
Non-regulatory option
Option 1: No intervention. Repeal the current requirements for vehicle dimensions (i.e. width, length, and height) and allow vehicle manufacturers to provide solutions to meet market demand.
Regulatory options
Option 2: Retain existing requirements (business as usual) for vehicle dimensions through the ADRs under the RVSA.
Option 3: Implement updated requirements for vehicle dimensions through the ADRs under the RVSA.
Assessed Impact Analysis outcome
Good practice. The IA addresses the seven Impact Analysis questions and follows an appropriate policy development process commensurate with the significance of the problem.
Assessment comments
The Office of Impact Analysis’ (OIA) assessment is that the quality of the analysis in the IA is Good Practice.
Regulatory burden
In the benefit-cost analysis by the Australian Road Research Board, the proposed option was calculated to have a net benefit of $588m. This benefit would be spread over a period of around 40 years, including the assumed 15-year period of regulation followed by a period of around 25 years over which the overall percentage of wider (up to 2.55 m) goods vehicles fitted with the required safety systems/features continue to rise, including due to older vehicles being deregistered at end of service life.