OBJECTIVES

REDUCE THE COST OF MAINTAINING

ROADS, BY PREVENTING THE DAMAGE
CAUSED BY OVERLOADED VEHICLES.
Mid North Weight of Loads Member Councils

Armidale/
Dumaresq
Guyra
Bellingen
Coffs Harbour
Kempsey
Greater Taree
Port Macquarie/
Hastings
Great Lakes
Gl
Gloucester
t
Walcha
Uralla
Tamworth Regional
Liverpool
p Plains
Upper Hunter
Dungog
Nambucca
 WHAT WE DO?
Liaise with Operators
p to assist with legislative
g
compliance.
Work in conjunction with the NSW Department of
Transport (previously RTA) to ensure that the
provisions of the Roads Act 1993, the Road
Transport (General) Act 2005 and their
corresponding regulations are complied with.
with
Patrol State, Regional and Local roads in the
participating council areas.
Conduct
C d t random d mass checks
h k on heavy
h vehicles
hi l
to ensure they operate within legislated mass
limits
 WHY?

Because overloaded vehicles damage roads and bridges and

the cost to the community to repair the damage is
extremely high
Pavement damage can be a contributing factor in vehicle
accidents
Local government roads are low volume roads covering vast
distances; because of limited funding these roads were built
with limited pavement thickness and are most vulnerable to
effects of overloaded vehicles.
Belltrees Bridge, Scone Shire Council
March 1921
Belltrees Bridge, Scone Shire Council
October 1996
Could a bridge designer of the 1920s have foreseen
a Super
Super--Dog combination or a B-Double ?
WHAT IS THE EFFECT OF
OVERLOADING ON THE
ROAD ?
 ESA
A Equivalent Standard Axle is defined as a Dual Tyred
Single Axle transmitting a load of 80kN (or 8.2 tonne) to
the pavement.
A ESA is
An i an Equivalent
E i l Standard
S d dA Axle
l

Standard Axle is 5.4 tonne on Single Axle Single Tyre

8.2 tonne on Single Axle Dual Tyre
13.8 tonne on Tandem Axle Dual Tyre
18.5 tonne on Triaxle Dual Tyre
 The 4 th Power Rule

4
No of Load on
Standard = Axle Group
Axle Standard
Repetitions Load for
Axle Group
Application of the 4th Power Rule
Effect of a 5% overload 4th power rule
increase in damage
1.05 x 1.05 x 1.05 x 1.05 = 1.22 i.e.22%
Or, Reduction in pavement life
0.22/(1+0.22)=0.18
0.22/(1+0.22) 0.18 i.e. 18%

The effect of 10% overload

1.10 x 1.10 x 1.10 x 1.10 = 1.46
Or 46% increase in damage and 32%
Reduction in pavement life
 Designs are based on equivalent no. of
standard axles.
kN Tonnes ESA
Single Axle Single Tyre 53 5.4 1
Single Axle Dual Tyres 80 82
8.2 1
Dual Axle Dual Tyres 135 13.6 1
Tri Axle Dual Tyres 181 18.5 1

Equivalent No
No. Standard Axles = CONSTANT Exponent
STRAIN
Exponent: - Granular =4
Sub Grade = 7.14
Asphalt =5
Bond (Cement Slab) = 18

Example Effects on Fatigue Life Dual Axle Dual Tyres

ESA Bound
Load Gravel Cement
Sub Grade Asphalt Stabilised
Pavement
1ESA 10
1.0 10
1.0 10
1.0 10
1.0
Current Legal Load (16.5) 2.17 3.98 2.63 32
Available Permits - up to (18.0) 3.07 7.4 4.06 155.3
 Car vs Truck
T h
To help
l putt in
i context
t t

2 Tonne Car = 1/2250th ESA

ESAss
Ave Artic Truck = 2.65 ESA
Artic Truck = 6000 Cars

=
Damaging Power of Reduction in
O l d (Ex Wilks)
Overloads Pavement Life Due to
Overloads
Overloading vs Pavement Life

Note the effect of 20% overloading halves pavement life

by fatigue loading
 Car vs Truck

82% of traffic on National Highways

are cars

Cars contribute 0.03% to pavement

loadings based on ESA km
travelled
 Road Friendly Suspension
???

AIRBAGS VS STEEL SPRINGS

RTA test
t t conducted
d t d on a 4 short
h t span
reinforced concrete bridge on the
Bucketts Way
Way, in Great Lakes Council area.
area
Bridge 4 x 9.14m spans
P/S Concrete
C t
Mass Limits Vs Gross Vehicle
Mass
The GVM is the structural capacity as
determined by the Manufacturer
GVM mmayy be found
f on the
rego label or in the cabin

And should be printed on

right
i h side
id off the
h vehicle
hi l
 Mass Limits Vs Gross Combination Mass
The manufacturers GCM is the maximum structural
capacity of Prime Mover & Trailer Combination.
 Mass Limits
The legal
g mass limits for each axle or axle
group and gross weights.
 Mass
Limits
The pposted weight
g
of a load restricted
road or bridge.
bridge
 Exceed 1:1 Ratio
The weight of trailer cannot exceed
the weight of the towing vehicle.
Truck
uc mustust be heavier
ea e than
t a the
t e
trailer.
 B Doubles Off Route

B Doubles must follow proscribed

routes.
routes
This information is available on the
RTA website (www.rta.nsw.gov.au
((www
www
www.rta.nsw.gov.au)
rta nsw gov au)
au)
or RTA Motor Registries
 The Process

Stopping
pp g Drivers are required
q to stop
p when an
officer displays a notice (Whether illuminated or
not) bearing the words STOP or RTA STOP. A
F il to
Fail t Stop
St breach
b h reportt will
ill be
b written
itt if a driver
d i
fails to stop.
 The Process

Safety inspectors are able to direct the driver of a vehicle

up to thirty kilometres away from the drivers direction of
travel in order to utilise a safer, more suitable weigh site.
Worksites are set out using approved Traffic Control Plans
 Place Scales
Establish the degree of the slope on the
weigh site

Remove scales from boot of Weight of

Loads Vehicle

Place scales in front of all wheels

 Truck Drives Onto Scales

Place scales in front of all wheels

Scale
l Readings
d Drivers are encouraged d to view scale
l
readings however due to OH&S requirements all directions
g to safety
relating f y and the worksite
w must
mu be strictly y adhered
to. This may include but is not limited to the wearing of
safety vests.
Check Weights

Calculate
weights

Calculate
allowed weights
g

Issue infringement if
required
Discuss any
breaches
WHAT DOES THIS
MEAN TO YOU

???
 COST OF OVERLOADING TO
NAMBUCCA SHIRE COUNCIL
ANALYSIS BASED ON WILKS

Average overload = 21% (based on Mid North Weight of Loads Group Statistics)

From Wilks this represents an increase in damage power of 110%

Thus, the reduction in pavement life due to overloading would be 50% if all vehicles were
overloaded.

However, only 5.8% of all vehicles stopped were overloaded.

R
Reduction
d ti iin = 100 x (% iincrease iin d
damaging
i power)) x % off vehicles
hi l overloaded
l d d
Pavement Life (100 + % increase in damaging power)
= 100 x 110) x 5.8
(100 + 110) 100
= 3.0 %

Length of sealed road in Nambucca Shire = 340 km

Unit cost for gravelling / stabilising and sealing $200,000/km

Therefore
Th f replacement
l t value
l off sealed
l d Road
R d Assets
A t = $68m
$68

Distributed over a nominal 20 year life = 68 x 106 = $3.4m pa

20
Cost of Reduction in life of roads due to overloading = $3.4m x 3% = $102,000 pa
 POTENTIAL SITUATION
IF NO
WEIGHT OF LOADS
GROUP
Estimate that average overload would increase from 21% to at least 33%

Hence average overload would then represent an increase in damaging power of 225%
(compared with legal loads) with a corresponding reduction in pavement life of 66% if all
vehicles overloaded.

Estimate that the % of vehicles overloading would increase from 5.8% to at least 50%

Therefore,
The efo e expected
e pe ted reduction
ed tion in pavement
p ement life =
100 x ( 225 ) x 50 = 35%
100 + 225 100
Cost of Reduction in life of roads due to overloading
= $3.4m
$3 4m x 35% = $1,190,000
$1 190 000 pa

Benefit of MNWOL Membership

Annual potential savings in road life = $1,190,000 $ 102,000 = $ 1,088,000

Cost to Nambucca Shire Council to operate MNWOL (Currently pa) $14,044
Hence, economic benefit / cost ratio = $ 1,088,000 = 77
$ 14,044
Watch
your
o r
Weight