Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV)
What is a Special Purpose Vehicle?
A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) is a vehicle (other than a caravan, a mobile home, a mobile library, a mobile workshop, a mobile laboratory or a mobile billboard) where the primary purpose for which it was built, or permanently modified, was not the carriage of goods or passengers; or a forklift, straddle carrier, mobile cherry picker, or mobile crane.
Type P
A SPV built, or permanently modified, primarily for off-road use, or use on a road related area, or use on an area of road that is under construction or repair (eg agricultural tractors, self-propelled agricultural harvesters, bulldozers, backhoes, graders and front-end loaders).
Nominated Configuration Code SPP.
Number of axles | Configuration code |
Any | PSV |
Type T
A SPV (other than a SPV type P) built, or permanently modified, primarily for use on roads, and that has no axle or axle group loaded in excess of the axle load limits specified in the Table to the definition of SPV type O below (eg mobile cranes, fire engines, truck-mounted concrete pumps and boring plants).
Nominated Configuration Code SPT.
Number of axles | Configuration code |
Any | TSV |
Type O
A SPV (other than a SPV type P) built, or permanently modified, primarily for use on roads, and that has at least one axle or axle group loaded in excess of the axle load limits specified in the following Table (eg mobile cranes, fire engines, truck-mounted concrete pumps and boring plants).
Nominated Configuration Code SP2.
Table - Axle load limits
Type of axle or axle group | Axle load limit (tonnes) |
Single axle | 6 |
Single axle | 6.7 |
Single axle | 7 |
Single axle | 8.5 |
Single axle | 9 |
Twinsteer axle groups: | 10 |
Twinsteer axle groups: | 11 |
Tandem axle groups: | 11 |
Tandem axle groups: | 13.3 |
Tandem axle groups: | 14 |
Tandem axle groups: | 13 |
Tandem axle groups: | 15 |
Tandem axle groups: | 16.5 |
Tri-axle groups: | 15 |
Tri-axle groups: | 18 |
Tri-axle groups: | 20 |
Tri-axle groups: | 18 |
Tri-axle groups: | 20 |
Table - configuration codes
Number of axles | Configuration code |
1 | OSV1 |
2 | OSV2 |
3 | OSV3 |
4 | OSV4 |
5-12 | OSV5-12 |