WHAT IS A VEHICLE TYPE APPROVAL?
Before a trailer can be provided to the market for use on a public road for the first time in Australia, it must be entered on the Register of Approved Vehicles (RAV).
There are 2 pathways to enter a vehicle on the RAV:
concessional RAV entry approval, and,
vehicle type approval.
Under the RVS legislation, trailer manufacturers supplying more than 4 trailers weighing 4.5 tonnes ATM or less to the Australian market in a 12-month period must obtain a vehicle type approval for that type of low ATM trailer. Once a vehicle type approval is granted and in force, that trailer type can be entered on the RAV by the approval holder or their authorised representative. This allows the approval holder to provide an unlimited number of those trailers to the Australian market.
Vehicle type approval holders must ensure that the type of low ATM trailer covered by the approval complies with the applicable national road vehicle standards in force at the time it is entered on the RAV and before it is provided to the market.
how can we help?
CMVC has helped many low ATM trailer manufacturers gain vehicle type approvals for their entire trailer range. Whether you are a high volume manufacturer, low volume manufacturer or a hobbyist, we have a solution for you. We follow a 5-stage approach that we can tailor to suit your particular requirements
stage 1:
This stage covers the administrative tasks. We start off by discussing your particular requirements and the type of trailers that you supply to market. During stage 1, we also provide you with a terms of agreement document that details the scope of services that we will be providing and associated costs.
Stage 1 is marked as ‘complete’ upon receiving a letter of authority from the client so that we can submit an application to act on their behalf in ROVER.
Stage 2:
In stage 2, we compile the provided product information for all of the trailer variants in your range. From there we can start grouping the variants based on specifications such as the ATM, drawbar design, and suspension type. From there, we group trailer variants based on the drawbar and chassis specifications in order to prepare a sample 3D CAD model that will be used for ADR62 testing and verification.
Stage 3:
In stage 3, we review the details of the components used to complete the trailer build. Whether the components come with UN-ECE approval or a CTA number we ensure that you meet your obligations in selecting approved components as a vehicle type approval holder.
stage 4:
To meet the eligibility criteria, you must be able to demonstrate you have either:
full control over all stages of the design, componentry and manufacturing process, or
access to information about the design, componentry and manufacture of the trailer.
We have spent many hours creating a Quality Management System (QMS) template that we can supply to our clients in order for them to meet their responsibilities as vehicle type approval holders. The template is 30+ page document that covers the details expected in a Quality Management System.
stage 5:
This is the final stage of the project. In stage 5, we complete the vehicle type approval applications in ROVER on behalf of the client. We will also support the application with any requests for information from the Department. This stage is marked as ‘complete’ when the client receives their vehicle type approval for their trailer range.
