Transporting New Zealand is urging the government to move quickly to ease heavy vehicle restrictions, arguing that long-standing rules are holding back productivity and wasting fuel at a time when efficiency is critical.
The organisation says four key regulatory changes are being prepared in the event of a shift to Phase 2 of the national fuel response plan but insists they should be implemented immediately rather than delayed.
The proposed changes include allowing higher weight limits for some trucks to reduce the number of trips required, enabling drivers with standard licences to operate certain heavy electric utes, relaxing time and access restrictions for over-dimension vehicles, and removing limitations on the routes those vehicles can take.
Transporting New Zealand chief executive Dom Kalasih said easing weight restrictions alone could deliver major efficiency gains, including saving several million litres of diesel.
“You could actually avoid around 10 million kilometres of heavy travel.”
He also backed reforms to over-dimension vehicle rules, while noting the sector is specialised and would affect a relatively small number of operators.
Kalasih urged ministers not to wait for an escalation to Phase 2 before acting.
“It can be picked up straight away. The vehicles we’re looking at, they’ve got spare capacity.
“We shouldn’t be waiting for things to get bad before we actually do things that make sense.”
On Monday, Regulation Minister David Seymour and Transport Minister Chris Bishop confirmed that submissions are being developed so changes can be rapidly implemented if the country moves into Phase 2 of the fuel response plan.
“We are still in Phase 1 of the National Fuel Response Plan, but we don’t want a repeat of the Covid-19 lockdowns. Doing the work to boost fuel efficiency now helps ensure we can stay in Phase 1 for as long as possible, causing the least disruption to Kiwis,” said Seymour.
Bishop said concerns over weight restrictions are widely held across the freight industry.
“We need to balance that with safety and network impacts, but there are sensible changes we can make that will lift productivity without compromising standards.”