Don't Sell Yourself Short On Insurance
Ensure your insurance is fully comprehensive and up to date because as a rural contractor you don’t know what’s around the corner.
During their recent national conference, Rural Contractors New Zealand (RCNZ) discussed progress on reform of Vehicle Dimension and Mass (VDAM) legislation that regulates dimensions, weight limits and indeed, times when tractors and machinery can be moved.
The concerns of rural contractors and out of date VDAM regulations have been on the table since 2016, but despite raising this issue with current Ministers almost two years ago, there has been no reform of any substance.
RCNZ's concerns centre around the fact that tractors and machinery currently in use are a far cry from the machines of just a decade ago, having got larger and heavier, but developments in tyre technology and braking systems means they are safer, can stop quicker and have a lighter footprint, so don't create any greater damage to roads and bridges.
They make a comparison with regulations in the Australian, US and key European markets, where the very same machines are allowed to operate lawfully.
The current regulations mean that around 750 machines are currently struggling to obtain, or indeed cannot obtain a permit, meaning cultivation and harvesting is interrupted, with the likelihood that if travel is undertaken without the correct permit, fines can exceed $10,000.
It seems regulatory authorities don't realise that modern tractors and harvesters are called upon to carry out a wide range of tasks as the growing and harvesting seasons change. Indeed, a tractor equipped with a rear-mounted implement at the start of a job may be reconfigured for a further task, to use front and rear implements in combination.
Likewise, a self-propelled forage harvester might be fitted with a 3-metre wide grass header in the spring, but switch to a 12-row maize header later in the season. In both scenarios, dynamic and axle loadings change dramatically in a way that is not recognised by the VDAM regulations.
Rural Contractors NZ chief executive Andrew Olsen says some members have faced fines for moving agricultural vehicles deemed too heavy for roads, under rules more than a decade old.
"Our members' tractors and other machines have got heavier but the transport regulations are such that they can be overweight before they leave the showroom, let alone with implements on board," says Olsen.
"Having the flexibility to permit these machines should be within the capability of the transport minister and NZTA. Rural contracting businesses want to comply and be lawful and I'm sure any farmers with big machinery feel the same," he says.
RCNZ says it is realistic about VDAM rule changes, knowing it won't happen overnight, but urgent attention is certainly required to the permitting process. The organisation is calling for government officials to meet with a delegation from the sector to field test machines that can't and in the short term a permitting system that can work around the out-of-date VDAM rules.
Bulky Permits
Rural Contractors NZ is also calling for modernisation of the permitting process to recognise the widespread use of smart devices throughout the agricultural sector.
Chief executive Andrew Olsen says currently permits can often be up to 20 pages, making them difficult to understand and interpret.
"Surely an electronically-issued permit, clearly laying out operating parameters and any restrictions, would make a great deal more sense for all parties involved and should be on the Government's radar to boost productivity and innovation across the rural sector?"
