ACE Towing & Heavy Haulage owner Che Bartle has fought to clear up inconsistencies in the legal framework surrounding the recovery of HPMV and Class 1 vehicles.
Good news for transport companies operating HPMVs and Class 1 vehicles stranded requiring recovery. Appropriately equipped and certified heavy-salvage operators concerned about over-dimensional issues can now apply for over-dimensional permits through the Waka-Kotahi NZTA permitting office to accompany the required over-weight permits.
Although section 3.14.11 of the 2016 VDAM gives clear direction on the dimension issue for towing companies, interpretation is often inconsistent when it comes to enforcement. ACE Towing & Heavy Haulage owner and 28-year industry veteran, Che Bartle, can trace his quest to clear up inconsistencies in the compliance framework back for eight years.
“It‘s been a journey I can tell you, and it predates the 2016 VDAM, which we thought would sort it and didn‘t. Heavy salvage in 2021 is a specialist, highly professional industry sub-set, and all we‘ve ever wanted is to do our job – with safety and compliance as our key pillars. It shouldn‘t have been as hard as it has or cost me as much as it did in legal costs. But we think we‘ve got there at last.”
Che sounds a word of caution to all those looking to have their HPMVs recovered. “This is not about me; this is a win for all compliant operators. If you‘re getting towed, you need to satisfy yourself that whoever is coming to recover your asset complies in terms of licencing, gear certification and permission to operate. With the health and safety chain of responsibility as it stands today, a mishap under tow or catastrophic gear failure caused by under-rated tow equipment will leave you with serious consequences.
“There are very few like ACE Towing & Heavy Haulage who can legally recover the big gear, full HPMVs and Class 1 vehicles hundreds of kilometres from the point of breakdown, and provide the customer peace of mind”.
New Zealand Trucking magazine will publish a full account of Che‘s quest in an upcoming issue.
