This article summarises Webinar Six from the Strategic Local Government Asset Assessment Project (SLGAAP) delivered by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR). It explains how vehicle and route assessments interact with bridge and culvert data in the NHVR Portal, and what road managers need to know about responsibilities and decision-making under the chain of responsibility; CoR.

Table of Contents

• What this webinar covered
• NHVR Portal: permit workflow and where road managers fit
• Reviewing routes and local government assets
• Creating and submitting an alternate route
• Deciding: grant, grant with conditions, or refuse
• Tools coming online: rapid assessment and Way2Go
• Practical tips for road managers
• Where to find resources
• FAQs
• Conclusion

What this webinar covered

Speakers Todd Willard (Project Manager, SLGAAP) and Will Beaumont (Access Team) walked attendees through:

• How the NHVR Portal routing function displays routes and local government assets.
• The permit workflow and how information requests, alternate route proposals and verifications work.
• How bridge assessment outputs sit in the Portal and inform route decisions.
• Planned future tools — a rapid assessment tool and the Way2Go spatial program — and how they will reduce rework for road managers and operators while supporting the chain of responsibility; CoR.

NHVR Portal: permit workflow and where road managers fit

The Portal is the single application environment used by industry, the regulator and road managers. A customer lodges an application, the NHVR performs an initial check, then the application is sent to relevant road managers to assess access. Road managers can ask the customer or regulator for more information (via Portal information requests), propose alternate routes and ultimately grant consent, grant with conditions or refuse.

When assessing an application you will see a case details page with the route preview, vehicle details (masses, dimensions, PBS approvals where applicable), and any regulator-applied standard conditions. Road managers make the final access decision and should document the reasons — an important part of meeting duties under the chain of responsibility; CoR.

Reviewing routes and local government assets

The Portal includes a layers control where road managers can display networks, council boundaries and a Local Government Assets layer. Clicking an asset reveals basic data and a link to the bridge assessment report that has been prepared for that structure. That bridge assessment is an important input when determining whether a vehicle can safely use the route.

Use the Start Assessment button to enable zooming and editing. If road names appear as “unknown” you can add notes or contact NHVR to request a data correction. Correct asset and road-manager attribution supports consistent decisions and reduces unnecessary information requests that can delay outcomes and complicate obligations under the chain of responsibility; CoR.

Creating and submitting an alternate route

If an asset or route is unsuitable you can propose an alternate route in the Portal by dragging waypoints, reordering them and saving the alternate route version. Saved alternates appear in Route History and are sent as an information request to NHVR for verification before reaching the customer. NHVR checks alternates for adverse effects on other road managers and then forwards to the applicant for confirmation; once confirmed the regulator finalises verification and the updated route regenerates in the case for your assessment.

This verification chain helps protect other road managers from unintended impacts and provides a clear audit trail — useful evidence of due process for authorities acting under the chain of responsibility; CoR.

Deciding: grant, grant with conditions, or refuse

Your options in the Portal are:

1. Grant without conditions (accept existing conditions)
2. Grant with conditions (add standard or custom conditions, or reduce timeframes)
3. Refuse (must provide lawful reasoning under HVNL)

In any decision, bridge assessment findings are another input to be weighed alongside safety, network efficiency and asset protection. Documenting the assessment rationale and any conditioning supports defensible decisions and clarifies obligations under the chain of responsibility; CoR.

Tools online: rapid assessment and Way2Go

NHVR and partners have developed two important capabilities to reduce uncertainty and speed decision-making:

• Rapid assessment tool (prototype) — a data driven tool (currently spreadsheet-style prototype) that inputs asset geometry and vehicle parameters to rapidly check whether a vehicle can safely traverse a structure. The plan is to integrate this into the Portal so road managers and operators can run checks earlier in the application process.
• Way2Go (national spatial program) — NHVR transitioned mapping tools to an open-source base (OpenStreetMap) to provide more accurate, timely road and network data. This improved routing logic so the system can prioritise approved freight networks rather than shortest-path routing.

Both tools aim to reduce applications submitted for unsuitable combinations of vehicle and route — a positive outcome for operator compliance and local government workload — and to help all parties fulfil obligations in a clear and consistent way under the chain of responsibility; CoR.

Practical tips for road managers

• Encourage applicants to request only the roads they need rather than “all roads” within a council area — blanket requests increase assessment time and risk entire applications being refused for a single problematic road. This practice also supports clearer allocation of duties under the chain of responsibility; CoR.
• Use the Local Government Assets layer and bridge report links to inform decisions. If a structure is complex, request a more detailed assessment or an alternate route.
• If you need help manipulating the Portal map or saving alternates, contact NHVR for portal support — they can guide you through the steps and save time.
• When you update road-manager attribution or road names, understand that corrections may not instantly propagate across concurrent applications; the Way2Go program aims to fix this in future releases.

Where to find resources

NHVR’s SLGAAP Road Manager Toolkit, webinar slides and FAQ are available from the NHVR engagement hub: https://nhvr.engagementhub.com.au/page/slgaap-road-manager-webinars. These resources collect templates, bridge assessment guidance and recordings to support consistent, evidence-based decisions aligned with duties under the chain of responsibility; CoR.

FAQs

Q: If another road manager has already approved a route, can I still propose a change?

A: Yes — if the alternate affects only roads within your own boundary there is generally no issue. If the alternate adds or removes other road managers’ roads, NHVR requires written correspondence and will assess the change case by case. Documented communication protects your decision-making and the obligations that arise from chain of responsibility; CoR.

Q: Applicants request permissions for “all roads” — should we reject and ask for a specific route?

A: NHVR recommends applicants apply only for roads they need. In some cases NHVR will return an application asking for a specific route or a council approval letter for all roads. Treat renewals or historic approvals as new decisions because roads and assets change; this ensures ongoing compliance with responsibilities under the chain of responsibility; CoR.

Q: Can road managers communicate directly inside the Portal rather than via email?

A: There is no current built-in cross-road-manager messaging feature. NHVR noted the idea and will consider it for future Portal improvements.

Conclusion

The webinar emphasised that bridge assessment outputs and Portal routing tools are complementary inputs to road manager decisions. The NHVR’s rapid assessment tool and Way2Go spatial program make it easier to identify suitable routes and reduce unnecessary applications — helping operators, regulators and road managers meet safety, asset protection and legal duties under the chain of responsibility; CoR. For copies of the slides, FAQs and recordings visit the SLGAAP engagement hub: https://nhvr.engagementhub.com.au/page/slgaap-road-manager-webinars.

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