More truck meters

Press, 2 October 1978, Page 3

More truck meters

The second stage of having trucks and trailers fitted with approved distancerecorders (hubodometers) began yesterday. All vehicles with a manufacturer’s gross laden weight of seven tonnes or more must be fitted with hubcrdometers, provided they have to use distance licences, says the Director of Roading (Mr F. A. Langbein) in the Ministry of Works. Hubodometers must be calibrated to read in kilometers for the appropriate sized tyre and tread, and must have a unique serial number.

They must be fitted to a non-lifting axle on the left side of the vehicle. “This is the seconddast step in the change from mileage tax and heavy traffic fees to a ‘user pays’ system of funding for the National Roads Board,” said Mr Langbein. The final step will begin an January 1. 1979, when all vehicles with a manufacturer’s gross laden weight of 3.5 tonnes or more must be fitted with hubodometers.

The new system, introduced under the Road User Charges Act, 1977, aims to charge heavy vehicles according to the actual costs incurred in maintaining and improving the roads.

How much is paid in each case depends on the weight of the vehicle, its payload, the distance it travels, and the type and number of axles and their spacing. “The charges may vary as the board’s work programme changes, the aim being always to provide enough funds to meet planned reading expenditure,” Mr Langbein said.