Animal welfare and transport efficiency are the big winners in recent ordinance changes made by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator.
The NHVR has instituted new rules that allow some livestock carriers to avoid cross loading at the border between Western Australia and South Australia.
This is made possible by allowing 27.5m B-doubles that are loaded with sheep and cattle to move continuously from West Australia to the South Australian Livestock Exchange, located in the northern Adelaide town of Dublin.
This means that fewer drivers will need to engage in cross loading across the transport network, as they can use the one B double combination for the whole trek.
Working across cross loading
Cross-loading is the practice of reversing two trucks together and having the driver manually climb over the stock crate to push along stubborn animals from one truck to the other. It can be a dangerous activity and one that is stressful for both the driver and the livestock.
This modification to the existing transport rules came about after heavy consultation between the NHVR and operators of trailers such as B double Curtainsiders and Super B-double Skels, working towards a solution that will improve both safety and speed.
State governments and industry groups were also consulted on the change.
New vehicle standards
Prior to this shift, the vehicle size limit for B-double livestock carriers in South Australia was 26m, which made cross loading at the border a common necessity. Cross loading up to 650 head of sheep could take up to three hours, so the removal of this requirement has obvious efficiency advantages.
This is another example of the NHVR working with local industry to make positive change for drivers, operators and, thanks to the faster network delivery times, the end consumer.
O’Phee Trailers have been designing and manufacturing a full range of Semi trailers, B Double trailers, PBS and Road Train trailers in many different configurations for many years. Their long length and versatility make them an ideal candidate to take advantage of these regulation changes. They recently turned heads with their innovative Quad-Quad Super B-Double Skel combination which was built for Chalmers Industries.
To find out how the Drake Group can help your transport company, contact us today.