Following representation by the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association (AAAA), Transport for NSW has now withdrawn the GVM upgrade changes outlined in Vehicle Safety Compliance Certification Scheme (VSCCS) Notice 17.
VSCCS Notice 17 dated 20 April, 2020, suggested that there was a change to NSW rules that limited post-registration GVM upgrades to the vehicle’s axle mass rating.
During persistent and spirited representation on this matter, Transport for NSW stated that VSCCS Notice 17 was nothing more than a clarification of existing requirements listed in Vehicle Standards Bulletins VSB 14 and VSB 6 pertaining to post-registration GVM Upgrades.
The AAAA saw matters differently.
“VSCCS Notice 17 was much more than a ‘clarification’, it introduced new conditions and selectively quoted from VSB 14. Of great concern to us was how Transport for NSW introduced VSCCS Notice 17 without consulting the industry, greatly affecting our members – the companies that manufacture, supply and fit GVM upgrade kits to post-registration vehicles in NSW, as well as their customers,” said Stuart Charity, CEO of the AAAA.
The AAAA convened an online Forum on 6 May, 2020 to address the matter after which Transport for NSW agreed to temporarily withdraw VSCCS Notice 17.
Transport for NSW distributed the following message to stakeholders on 7 May, 2020:
Transport for NSW wishes to advise that VSCCS Notice 17 will be temporarily withdrawn. A sub-working group made up of stakeholders from the vehicle standards working group will be engaged to develop additional guidance material. Certifiers are still required to comply with the registration regulations, including VSB6 and VSB14. Following this process, Transport for NSW will then re-publish VSCCS Notice 17 with the additional guidance materials developed in consultation with the sub-working group.
The withdrawal on VSCCS Notice 17 should considerably allay any concern by NSW drivers who have already fitted a GVM upgrade to their post-registered vehicles.
The Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association is a member of the NSW Vehicle Standards Working Group.
“We are looking forward to working with Transport for NSW on guidance material for GVM upgrades. We are able to draw on the expertise of a large group of professional vehicle modification engineers and we will of course, constructively engage in a process that can deliver safer outcomes for the community, and clearer rational guidelines for industry,” said Stuart Charity.
Note: VSCCS Notice 17 did not apply to vehicles produced by Second Stage Manufacturers (i.e. vehicles fitted with a GVM upgrade by a second stage vehicle manufacturer prior to first registration). It only affected already-registered vehicles in NSW.