Removing registrations of overheight trucks to improve tunnel compliance
The NSW Government is working to get overheight trucks off the road by enforcing registration stripping of heavy vehicles that close Sydney tunnels.
The Government is also strengthening advance warning systems and raising awareness through driver education and roadside compliance operations.
Minister for Roads John Graham said the Government is taking action against overheight trucks that are repeatedly compromising the safety of motorists and testing the patience of the entire city.
The NSW Government has this week asked the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) to work closely with Transport for NSW to initiate more investigations and bring charges against trucking companies and owners under “aggravated circumstances” provisions.
Mr Graham said prosecutions of companies under the rules, including heavy vehicle chain of responsibility provisions, had so far been limited and the NSW Government was keen to see more action and referrals from the NHVR that allows Transport to take an offending truck off the road for up to six months.
Since August 2022, when heavy vehicle regulatory functions were transferred to the NHVR, just four registration sanctions have been completed against trucking companies by Transport for NSW on referral from the NHVR for overheight breaches in relation to tunnels in NSW and of these one was thrown out by the court.
To enhance warning systems for the Sydney Harbour Tunnel, the NSW Government has approved the immediate deployment of $5 million in infrastructure upgrades, sensors, signage and enhanced slip ways for trucks that approach tunnels with overheight loads.
For the Sydney Harbour Tunnel, this will involve moving warning signs and sensors further back along the Warringah Freeway to ensure heavy vehicle drivers can take earlier evasive action to avoid blocking traffic at the tunnel portal or worse.
This work will start in July and is intended to be fully completed by December.