Heavy Vehicle National Law - Victoria Class 3 Container Vehicle, Rearloader Waste Vehicle And Converter Dolly Combination Vehicle Mass And Dimension Exemption Notice 2019 (No.1)

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HEAVY VEHICLE NATIONAL LAW

Victoria Class 3 Container Vehicle, Rearloader Waste Vehicle And Converter Dolly Combination Vehicle Mass And Dimension Exemption Notice 2019 (No.1)

 

PART 1 - PRELIMINARY

 

1 Purpose

 

The purpose of this Notice is to exempt the stated categories of class 3 heavy vehicles from—

a)      the prescribed mass requirements specified in the Notice; and

b)      the prescribed dimension requirements specified in the Notice.

 

2 Authorising provisions

 

This Notice is issued in accordance with section 117 of the Heavy Vehicle National Law as in force in each participating jurisdiction (HVNL).

 

3 Title

 

This Notice may be cited as the Victoria Class 3 Container Vehicle, Rearloader Waste Vehicle And Converter Dolly Combination Vehicle Mass And Dimension Exemption Notice 2019.

 

4 Commencement

 

 This Notice comes into operation on 10 February 2019.

 

5 Expiry

 

 This Notice expires on 9 February 2024.

 

6 Definitions

 

1)      Unless otherwise stated, words and expressions used in this Notice have the same meanings in the HVNL.

 

2)      In this Notice—

container vehicle” means a 3 axle prime mover and tri-axle semi-trailer combination carrying one or more containers when operating on a container vehicle route.

container vehicle route” means a route described in Appendix 1 to this Notice as a container vehicle route; and             

 

converter dolly combination vehicle” means a combination consisting  of a prime mover, semitrailer and converter dolly; and

 

MDL National Regulation” means the Heavy Vehicle (Mass, Dimension and Loading) National Regulation.

 

rearloader waste vehiclemeans a 3 axle vehicle fitted with a bin lifting mechanism and a tandem axle group with 8 tyres.

 

7        Application

 

1)      This Notice applies in Victoria.

2)      Part 2 of this Notice applies to a container vehicle.

3)      Part 3 of this Notice applies to a rearloader waste vehicle.

4)      Part 4 of this Notice applies to a converter dolly combination vehicle.

 

PART 2—CONTAINER VEHICLES

8        Exemption from prescribed mass requirements

 

1)      A container vehicle is exempt from the following mass requirements of Schedule 1 to the MDL National Regulation —

a)      section 2(1)(a)(iv) and 2(1)(b); and

b)      section 4 and Table 1 (Axle mass limits table); and

c)      section 5 and Table 2 (Axle spacing mass limits general table).

 

9        Mass requirement - condition

 

1)      The mass on a single axle or axle group on a container vehicle must not be more than the lower of—

a)      the limits for an axle or axle group described in column 1 of Table 1, set out in column 2 of that Table opposite the description in column 1; or

b)      the sum of the mass limits for the tyres fitted to the axle or axle group.

          Table 1 —Axle and axle group gross mass limits—Container vehicles


Item No.

Column 1

Description of single axle or axle group

Column 2

Gross Mass Limit (tonnes)

1

steer axle on single axle

6

2

tandem axle group

18

3

tri-axle group

24

 

 

 

2)      The mass of a container vehicle must not be more than the lower of the following masses—

a)      48t; or

b)      the mass that is the sum of the axle and axle group mass limits referred to in subclause (1).

 

10    Axle spacing requirements condition

 

1)      The distances between the centres of the rear axle of the 3 axle prime mover that forms part of a container vehicle and the first axle of the semitrailer that forms part of the same container vehicle must be at least 6.5m.

2)      The wheelbase of the 3 axle prime mover that forms part of a container vehicle must be at least 3.6m.

 

11    Areas or routes

 

The exemption in this Part applies to the container vehicle routes. 

 

PART 3—REARLOADER WASTE VEHICLES

 

12    Exemption from prescribed dimension requirement

A rearloader waste vehicle is exempt from the dimension requirements set out in section 5(1) of Schedule 6 to the MDL National Regulation.

 

13    Dimension requirement condition

 

1)      The rear overhang of a rearloader waste vehicle must not be more than the lesser of—

a)      70% of the vehicle's wheelbase; and

b)      3.4m.

 

14    Areas or routes condition

 

 The exemption in this Part applies to all roads in Victoria.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PART 4—CONVERTER DOLLY COMBINATION VEHICLES

 

Division 1 – Exemption from prescribed mass requirements

 

15    Exemption from prescribed mass requirement

 

1)      A converter dolly combination vehicle is exempt from the following mass requirements in Schedule 1 to the MDL National Regulation—

a)      section 2(a)(iv); and

b)      section 5(1) and Table 2.

 

16    Mass requirements condition

 

1)      The mass of a converter dolly that forms part of a converter dolly combination vehicle must not be more than 3t.

2)      Subject to sub-clause (1), the mass of a converter dolly combination vehicle must not be more than 45.5t.

3)      The mass of a converter dolly combination vehicle relating to an axle spacing of the vehicle must not be more than the mass limit set out in column 2 of Table 2 set out opposite the length of axle spacing described in column 1 of that Table.

 

Table 2 –Axle spacing mass limits – converter dolly combination vehicle

 

Item No.

Column 1

Length of axle spacing (m)

Column 2

Mass limit (t)

at least

 less than

 

1

  0

37

230

2

37

38

235

3

38

40

240

4

40

42

245

5

42

43

250

6

43

45

255

7

45

47

260

8

47

48

265

9

48

50

270

10

50

52

275

11

52

53

280

12

53

55

285

13

55

57

290

14

57

58

295

15

58

60

300

16

60

62

305

17

62

63

310

18

63

65

315

19

65

67

320

20

67

68

325

21

68

70

330

22

70

72

335

23

72

73

340

24

73

75

345

25

75

77

350

26

77

78

355

27

78

80

360

28

80

82

365

29

82

83

370

30

83

85

375

31

85

87

380

32

87

88

385

33

88

90

390

34

90

92

395

35

92

93

400

36

93

95

405

37

95

97

410

38

97

98

415

39

98

100

420

40

100

102

425

41

102

103

430

42

103

105

435

43

105

107

440

44

107

108

445

45

108

110

450

46

110

--

455

 

 

 

 

Division 2 - Exemption from prescribed dimension requirements

 

17    Exemption from prescribed dimension requirement

 

A converter dolly combination vehicle is exempt from the dimension requirement set out in section 3(1)(a) of Part 2 of Schedule 6 to the MDL National Regulation.

 

18    Condition - Length requirements

 

The length of a converter dolly combination vehicle must not be more than 25m.

 

Division 3 – Other conditions

 

19    Converter dolly must not carry load

 

A converter dolly that forms part of a converter dolly combination vehicle must not carry a load. 

 

20    Condition - Areas or routes

 

The exemption in this Part applies to all roads in Victoria.

 

 

Peter Caprioli

Executive Director (Freight and Supply Chain Productivity)

National Heavy Vehicle Regulator


 

 

 

APPENDIX 1: CONTAINER VEHICLE ROUTES

 

Container vehicles operating under Part 2 of this Notice may operate on the container vehicle routes provided in the following network, hosted on the VicRoads website:

“Port of Melbourne Container Network”

 

Overview

The Heavy Vehicle National Law Victoria Class 3 Container Vehicle, Rearloader Waste Vehicle and Converter Dolly Combination Vehicle Mass and Dimension Exemption Notice 2019 (No.1) was enacted to provide specific exemptions for certain types of heavy vehicles in Victoria from the prescribed mass and dimension requirements set out in the Heavy Vehicle (Mass, Dimension and Loading) National Regulation. This Notice was issued under section 117 of the Heavy Vehicle National Law, with the objective of facilitating more efficient operations for these specialised vehicles while maintaining safety standards. This legislation applies only in Victoria and exempts container vehicles, rearloader waste vehicles, and converter dolly combination vehicles from certain mass and dimension requirements, provided they meet the conditions set out in the Notice. It came into effect on 10 February 2019 and will expire on 9 February 2024.

Scope and Application

The Victoria Class 3 Container Vehicle, Rearloader Waste Vehicle And Converter Dolly Combination Vehicle Mass And Dimension Exemption Notice 2019 (No.1) applies to specific categories of class 3 heavy vehicles within the state of Victoria. The Notice is issued under section 117 of the Heavy Vehicle National Law as in force in each participating jurisdiction and exempts certain vehicles from prescribed mass and dimension requirements. Part 2 of the Notice pertains to container vehicles, which are exempt from specific mass requirements but must comply with certain conditions such as axle spacing and overall mass limits. Part 3 of the Notice applies to rearloader waste vehicles, which are exempt from dimension requirements but must adhere to a rear overhang limitation. Part 4 of the Notice applies to converter dolly combination vehicles, which are exempt from both mass and dimension requirements, subject to specific conditions including mass limits for the converter dolly and overall vehicle length. The Notice applies to all roads in Victoria and comes into operation on 10 February 2019, expiring on 9 February 2024. The Notice may be extended or modified through subordinate instruments.

Key Provisions

The Notice (sections 8 and 15) exempts certain types of class 3 heavy vehicles from specific mass requirements under the Heavy Vehicle (Mass, Dimension and Loading) National Regulation. For container vehicles, the exemption applies to sections 2(1)(a)(iv) and 2(1)(b), section 4, Table 1 (Axle mass limits table), section 5, and Table 2 (Axle spacing mass limits general table). For rearloader waste vehicles, the exemption applies to the dimension requirements set out in section 5(1) of Schedule 6 to the MDL National Regulation. For converter dolly combination vehicles, the exemption applies to section 2(a)(iv) and section 5(1) of Schedule 1 to the MDL National Regulation. The Notice (sections 9 and 16) imposes conditions on the mass of the vehicles to ensure they do not exceed certain limits. For container vehicles, the mass on a single axle or axle group must not exceed the lower of the limits set in Table 1 or the sum of the mass limits for the tyres fitted to the axle or axle group. The mass of the container vehicle must not exceed the lower of 48 tonnes or the sum of the axle and axle group mass limits. For converter dolly combination vehicles, the mass of the converter dolly must not exceed 3 tonnes, and the mass of the combination vehicle must not exceed 45.5 tonnes, subject to the mass limits set out in Table 2 for axle spacing. The Notice (sections 10, 13, and 18) imposes conditions on the dimension and spacing of the vehicles. For container vehicles, the distance between the rear axle of the prime mover and the first axle of the semitrailer must be at least 6.5 metres, and the wheelbase of the prime mover must be at least 3.6 metres. For rearloader waste vehicles, the rear overhang must not exceed the lesser of 70% of the vehicle's wheelbase or 3.4 metres. For converter dolly combination vehicles, the length must not exceed 25 metres. Breach of the conditions set out in the Notice may result in a penalty under the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) as in force in each participating jurisdiction. The maximum penalty for a serious breach is 500 penalty units, and for a repeated serious breach, 1000 penalty units. A serious breach includes an offence that carries a penalty of more than 100 penalty units. The Notice does not specify any civil or criminal consequences for breach. The Notice applies in Victoria and comes into operation on 10 February 2019. It expires on 9 February 2024. The exemptions and conditions apply to container vehicle routes, rearloader waste vehicles, and converter dolly combination vehicles operating on all roads in Victoria. The Notice is issued in accordance with section 117 of the HVNL.

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Area of Law
Transport Law
Instrument
Gazette Notice
Concepts
Definitions & Interpretation
Commencement Provisions
Exemptions & Exclusions
Regulatory Standards
Catchwords
container vehicle
rearloader waste vehicle
converter dolly combination vehicle

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Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 August 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.