The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has launched the interactive Pavement Impact Comparison Calculator (Pavement Calculator) for consultation, to enable road managers to understand the long-term pavement effects of freight activity on roads.
This beta release follows the successful introduction of their first tool, the last month, and represents NHVR’s continued commitment to empowering better decision-making in the road transport industry.
The Pavement Calculator is a state-of-the-art tool designed to estimate the vertical pavement loading impacts of heavy vehicles. It considers various factors like different pavement types, axle configurations, axle masses, tyre sizes, and road-friendly suspension, offering a wide-ranging analysis.
This innovative resource is especially useful for road managers without pavement engineering expertise, allowing them to assess the impacts of freight vehicles on their infrastructure accurately.
The Pavement Calculator will assist road managers in making more efficient and favourable access decisions for higher mass vehicles, potentially leading to larger trucks being allowed on roads without compromising infrastructure sustainability.
The tool’s development involved the use of trusted sources already used by road managers in road design and assessments, such as Austroads pavement research and transport agency pavement guidelines.
NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto OAM said the tool will help users understand that more productive vehicles can actually expand the lifespan of the roads, because fewer vehicles are needed to transport the same freight task.
“The Pavement Calculator indicates that larger and heavy vehicles are not necessarily worse for roads than smaller vehicles, especially if they meet the requirements of the NHVR’s Performance Based Standards scheme”, Mr Petroccitto said.
“This information helps facilitate discussions between road managers and industry to achieve the best outcome.
“For example, a PBS A-Double at higher mass limits and fitted with road-friendly suspensions can cause 38 per cent less pavement wear than a B-double at general mass limits.”
Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia Chief Technical Officer Adam Ritzinger said giving tools like this to road managers will drive productivity upwards.
“HVIA strongly supports the NHVR’s efforts to simplify pavement impact calculations and remove barriers to higher vehicle freight vehicles,” Mr Ritzinger said.
Local governments, who are responsible for approximately 77 per cent of the total road length in Australia, equating to 678,000 kilometres, face significant challenges in maintaining these roads.[1]
IPWEA NSW & ACT Chief Engineer Josh Devitt said the Pavement Calculator is a valuable resource for road managers with limited funding as it reduces the complexity of managing road assets, making the task of road maintenance and rehabilitation more manageable.
“This tool will assist local government road managers in making more informed decisions about the impact of heavy vehicle movements on their network, and lead to an overall improvement in road asset management activities.” Mr Devitt said.
“The tool is based on best practice engineering guidelines and will help streamline design and assessment processes. By making these guidelines user-friendly and digital, the Pavement Calculator not only makes information more accessible but also ensures decisions are grounded in reliable, trusted sources.”
The NHVR is committed to continually supporting the industry and local governments in improving road quality and ensuring efficient transport of goods and services across Australia.
The Pavement Impact Comparison Calculator is a testament to this commitment, paving the way for smarter, more sustainable road management practices.
Consultation on the Pavement Calculator closes 5 April 2024.
