From April 1, Class NB and NC vehicles with a Cardan shaft park brake must display a warning sticker in a place visible to the driver.

Cardan shaft park brakes (also known as driveshaft park brakes) are fitted to many small to medium trucks and a small number of passenger service vehicles.

They are designed to hold the vehicle and its load but have limitations, which can lead to a vehicle rolling away.

There have been several incidents where the Cardan shaft park brake has failed and the vehicle has rolled away. In the last 10 years, four of these incidents have resulted in fatalities.

In July last year, Waka Kotahi issued a safety alert about how and why these brakes can fail. https://www.nzta.govt.nz/assets/Vehicles/docs/safety-alert-cardan-shaft-brakes-202207.pdf

Waka Kotahi has now updated its Vehicle Inspection Requirements Manual (VIRM) In-service so that from April 1, 2023 if a NB or NC vehicle with a Cardan shaft park brake does not have the warning sticker, then that is a reason for rejection (CoF fail).