Motor Vehicles (Fees and Charges) Regulations 2008

regulation 2

Part

1 Interpretation

1 Definitions

In this Schedule:

articulated bus means a bus consisting of more than 1 rigid section with passenger access between the sections and the sections connected so as to allow rotary movement between the sections.

axle means 1 or more shafts positioned in a line across a vehicle, on which 1 or more wheels intended to support the vehicle turn.

axle group means a single axle group, tandem axle group, twinsteer axle group, tri-axle group or quad-axle group.

B-double combination means a combination consisting of a prime mover towing 2 semi-trailers.

B-double lead trailer means a semi-trailer that is nominated for use as the lead trailer in a B-double combination.

B-triple combination means a combination consisting of a prime mover towing 3 semi-trailers.

B-triple lead trailer means a semi-trailer that is nominated for use as the lead trailer in a B-triple combination.

B-triple middle trailer means a semi-trailer that is nominated for use as the second trailer in a B-triple combination.

bus means a motor vehicle, built mainly to carry people, that seats more than 9 adults (including the driver).

bus (type 1) means a rigid bus that has 2 axles and an MRC not exceeding 12 t.

bus (type 2) means:

(a) a rigid bus that has 2 axles and an MRC exceeding 12 t; or

(b) a rigid bus that has 3 or 4 axles.

compliance plate means a plate authorised to be placed on a vehicle, or taken to have been placed on a vehicle, under the Motor Vehicle Standards Act

1989 (Cth).

converter dolly means a trailer with a fifth wheel coupling designed to support a semi-trailer for hauling purposes.

dog trailer means a trailer with:

(a) a single axle group or single axle at the front that is steered by connection to the towing vehicle by a drawbar; and

(b) a single axle group or single axle at the rear.

drawbar means a part of a trailer (other than a semi-trailer) that connects the trailer body to a coupling for towing purposes.

driver means the person driving or in control of a motor vehicle.

fifth wheel coupling means a device, other than the upper rotating element and the kingpin (which are parts of a semi-trailer), used with a prime mover, semi-trailer or a converter dolly to permit quick coupling and uncoupling and to provide for articulation.

lead trailer, in a combination, means the trailer that is, or that is to be, attached to the prime mover.

load carrying vehicle means a vehicle designed and constructed to haul or carry goods and wares in addition to any fuel, water, lubricants, tools and any other equipment or accessories necessary for normal operation of the vehicle.

loaded mass, in relation to a vehicle, means the sum of the mass of the vehicle and the mass of the load on the vehicle that is imposed on the surface on which the vehicle is standing or running.

long combination truck means a truck nominated to haul 2 or more trailers.

low loader means a gooseneck semi-trailer with a loading deck no more than 1 m above the ground.

low loader dolly means a mass-distributing device that:

(a) is usually coupled between a prime mover and low loader; and

(b) consists of a gooseneck rigid frame; and

(c) does not directly carry any load on itself; and

(d) is equipped with 1 or more axles, a kingpin and a fifth wheel coupling.

medium combination truck

means a truck, other than a short combination truck, nominated to haul a single trailer.

MRC or Mass

Rating for Charging, in relation to a motor vehicle, means the maximum laden mass of the vehicle recorded by the Registrar.

multi-combination prime mover means a prime mover nominated to haul 2 or more trailers.

nominated means nominated by the person applying for registration.

pig trailer means a trailer with a single axle group or single axle near the middle of its load-carrying surface, and connected to the towing vehicle by a drawbar.

pole type trailer means a trailer that:

(a) is attached to a towing vehicle by means of a pole or an attachment fitted to a pole; and

(b) is ordinarily used for transporting loads, such as logs, pipes, structural members or other long objects, that are generally capable of supporting themselves like beams between supports.

prime mover means a motor vehicle designed to haul a semi‑trailer.

quad-axle group means a group of 4 axles, in which the horizontal distance between the centre-lines of the outermost axles is more than 3.2 metres but not more than 4.9 metres.

road means an area that is open to or used by the public and is developed for, or has as one of its main uses, the driving or riding of motor vehicles.

road related area means:

(a) an area that divides a road;

or

(b) a footpath or nature strip adjacent to a road; or

(c) an area that is open to the public and is designated for use by cyclists or animals; or

(d) an area that is not a road and that is open to or used by the public for driving, riding or parking vehicles; or

(e) any shoulder of a road; or

(f) an area that is a road related area for the purposes of the Australian Road Rules.

semi-trailer means a trailer (including a pole type trailer) that has:

(a) a single axle group or single axle towards the rear; and

(b) a means of attachment to a prime mover or a converter dolly that results in some of the load being imposed on the prime mover, or the converter dolly, as the case may be.

short combination prime mover means a prime mover nominated to haul a single semi-trailer.

short combination truck

means a truck nominated to haul a single trailer where, according to the nomination:

(a) the combination has 6 axles or fewer; and

(b) the maximum total mass that is legally allowable for the combination is 42.5 t or less.

single axle means an axle not forming part of an axle group.

single axle group means a group of 2 or more axles, in which the horizontal distance between the centre-lines of the outermost axles is less than 1 m.

special purpose vehicle, see clause 2.

special purpose vehicle

(type O) means a special purpose vehicle (other than a special purpose vehicle (type P)):

(a) built, or permanently modified, primarily for use on roads; and

(b) that has at least 1 axle or axle group loaded in excess of the axle load limits specified in

Table 1.

Example

Examples of this kind of vehicle are mobile cranes, fire engines, truck-mounted concrete pumps and boring plants. These kinds of vehicle may also fall within the definition of special purpose vehicle (type T) if they have no axle or axle group loaded in excess of the axle load limits specified in Table 1.

Table 1

Axle load limits

special purpose vehicle

(type P) means a special purpose vehicle built, or permanently modified, primarily for:

(a) off-road use; or

(b) use on a road related area; or

(c) use on an area of road that is under construction or repair.

Example

Examples of this kind of vehicle are agricultural tractors, self-propelled agricultural harvesters, bulldozers, backhoes, graders and front-end loaders.

special purpose vehicle (type T) means a special purpose vehicle (other than a special purpose vehicle (type P)):

(a) built, or permanently modified, primarily for use on roads; and

(b) that has no axle or axle group loaded in excess of the axle load limits specified in Table 1.

Example

Examples of this kind of vehicle are mobile cranes, fire engines, truck-mounted concrete pumps and boring plants. These kinds of vehicle may also fall within the definition of special purpose vehicle (type O) if they have at least 1 axle or axle group loaded in excess of the axle load limits specified in Table 1.

tandem axle group means a group of at least 2 axles, in which the horizontal distance between the centre-lines of the outermost axles is at least 1 m but not more than 2 m.

trailer means a vehicle that is built to be towed, or is towed, by a motor vehicle, but does not include a motor vehicle that is being towed.

tri-axle group means a group of at least 3 axles, in which the horizontal distance between the centre-lines of the outermost axles is more than 2 m, but not more than 3.2 m.

truck means a rigid motor vehicle that is principally constructed as a load carrying vehicle.

truck (type 1) means a truck that has:

(a) 2 axles and an MRC not exceeding 12 t; or

(b) 3 axles and an MRC not exceeding 16.5 t; or

(c) 4 or more axles and an MRC not exceeding 20 t.

truck (type 2) means a truck that has:

(a) 2 axles and an MRC exceeding

12 t; or

(b) 3 axles and an MRC exceeding

16.5 t; or

(c) 4 or more axles and an MRC exceeding 20 t.

twinsteer axle group means a group of 2 axles:

(a) with single tyres; and

(b) fitted to a motor vehicle; and

(c) connected to the same steering mechanism; and

(d) the horizontal distance between the centre-lines of which is at least 1 m, but not more than

2 m.

2 Special purpose vehicles

(1) In this Schedule:

special purpose vehicle

means:

(a) a vehicle (other than a caravan, a mobile home, a mobile library, a mobile workshop, a mobile laboratory, a mobile billboard or a vehicle that the regulations declare not to be a special purpose vehicle for the purposes of this definition) where the primary purpose for which it was built, or permanently modified, was not the carriage of goods or passengers; or

(b) any of the following vehicles:

(i) a forklift;

(ii) a straddle carrier;

(iii) a mobile cherry picker;

(iv) a mobile crane; or

(c) a vehicle, or a vehicle of a type, declared by the Registrar to be a special purpose vehicle.

(2) In subclause (1)(a):

goods does not include fuel, water, lubricants, tools and any other equipment or accessories necessary for the normal operation of the vehicle.

Example

In the case of a crane, goods would not include any chains on the crane necessary to operate the crane.

passengers does not include the driver, a trainee driver or any person necessary for the normal operation of the vehicle.

3 Close-spaced axles

(1) For this schedule (other than the definitions of single axle group, tandem axle group, twinsteer axle group, tri-axle group and quad-axle group):

(a) 2 axles less than 1 m apart are to be regarded as a single axle; and

(b) 3 axles not more than 2 m apart are to be regarded as 2 axles; and

(c) 4 axles not more than 3.2 m apart are to be regarded as 3 axles.

(2) A reference to a distance in subclause (1) is a reference to the horizontal distance between the centre-lines of:

(a) in subclause (1)(a) – the 2 axles; and

(b) in any other case, the outermost axles.

4 Determination of number of trailers

For determining the number of trailers that a prime mover or truck is nominated to haul:

(a) a converter dolly and a semi-trailer when used together are to be regarded as a single trailer; and

(b) a low loader dolly and a low loader when used together are to be regarded as a single trailer.

Note

Nothing in this clause affects the requirement under Parts 2 and 3 that a separate annual registration fee be paid for each converter dolly or low loader dolly and for each semi-trailer.

Part

2 Annual registration charges

5 Annual registration charges from 1 October 2022 to 30 September 2023

For the period commencing on 1

October 2022 and ending on 30 September 2023, the annual registration charge for a heavy vehicle is the amount set out in Table 2 for a vehicle of that type.

Table

2

Annual registration charges from 1 October 2022 to 30 September 2023

6 Annual registration charges from 1 October 2023 to 30 September 2024

For the period commencing on 1

October 2023 and ending on 30 September 2024, the annual registration charge for a heavy vehicle is the amount set out in

Table 3 for a vehicle of that type.

Table

3

Annual registration charges from 1 October 2023 to

30

September 2024

6A Annual registration charges from 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025

For the period commencing on 1

October 2024 and ending on 30 September 2025, the annual registration charge for a heavy vehicle is the amount set out in

Table 3A for a vehicle of that type.

Table

3A

Annual registration charges from 1 October 2024 to

30 September 2025

6B Annual registration charges from 1 October 2025

Commencing on 1 October 2025, the annual registration charge for a heavy vehicle is the amount set out in Table 3B for a vehicle of that type.

Table

3B

Annual registration charges from 1 October 2025

Part

4 Miscellaneous matters

7 Permit fees

(1) The permit fee for the grant of a permit to operate a vehicle, or a combination of vehicles, with a loaded mass of more than 125 tonnes where the load being carried is an indivisible load is:

4 cents x ESA x K

where:

ESA is the sum of the equivalent standard axles for each of the rows of tyres across the trailer or trailers to be hauled under the permit by the vehicle, as determined by reference to the relevant part or parts of Table 4;

K is a reasonable estimate of the number of kilometres the vehicle will travel under the permit.

Table

4

Equivalent standard axles for rows of tyres across trailers

Part A – Trailers with rows of 8 tyres

Part B – Trailers with rows of 4 tyres

(2) For Table 4, the average load per row is the loaded mass (in tonnes) of the trailer divided by the number of rows of tyres that the trailer has.

(3) In this clause:

indivisible load means a load comprising a single item or a number of similar items that cannot, without disproportionate effort, expense or risk of damage, be divided into 2 or more smaller loads for the purpose of transport.

8 Vehicles in 2 or more categories

If a vehicle falls within 2 or more categories of heavy vehicle, the annual registration charge for the vehicle is the higher or highest of the charges that could apply to the vehicle.