Change in safety rules for truck brakes

New safety requirements for heavy vehicle brakes will come into force next year following the signing of a new rule yesterday by Minister for Transport Safety Harry Duynhoven.

The rule aims to improve safety for all road users by reducing the number of crashes on New Zealand roads involving heavy vehicles.

Last year Parliament was told more than half the trucks tested by the Land Transport Safety Authority (LTSA) did not meet legal brake requirements and police needed extra resources to ensure safety standards were met.

A plan by police to employ five extra safety officers, equipped with mobile brake-testing equipment was endorsed by the Office of the Auditor-General.

In a follow-up report into the 1996 transport committee inquiry into truck crashes, the office said extra resources would enable police to undertake further enforcement action.

Lead auditor Pat Hoy told Parliament's transport and industrial relations select committee that "the problem is that trucks do such high mileage, 100,000km and 200,000km, between inspections."

"Perhaps there's a need to look at the Certificate of Fitness arrangements, because they're clearly not working."

An LTSA 2003 survey found 65 per cent of heavy vehicles failed the minimum brake performance requirement, and 87 per cent of semi-trailers and 79 per cent of fully-laden trailers failed roadside brake tests.

The 1996 report recommended urgent attention be given to improving the brakes of heavy vehicles after surveys showed more than half the trucks tested did not meet legal requirements.

"Little has changed since then," the latest report found.

Mr Duynhoven said the updated requirements for heavy vehicle brakes will come into force on March 1, 2007, with some other requirements taking effect from July 1, 2008.

The rule will provide the legal basis to improve the braking performance of heavy vehicles (those exceeding 3500kg) and heavy vehicle combinations. It requires the brakes of imported heavy vehicles to meet international braking standards and domestically manufactured or modified vehicles to meet similar standards.

The rule also requires all heavy vehicles used in combination, first registered or modified in New Zealand from July 1, 2008, to be fitted with load-sensing valves or an anti-lock braking.

These technologies reduce the chances of jack-knifing and trailer swing under heavy braking.

An improved brake test will also be introduced as part of the Certificate of Fitness inspections of heavy vehicles.

Police and Land Transport New Zealand statistics show that brake defects cause or contribute to more crashes than other defects.

- NZPA