Transporting New Zealand says changes to vehicle rules announced by the Government last week don’t go far enough and are a missed opportunity to support the uptake of zero-emissions trucks.
As part of changes to manage the fuel crisis, the Government announced it will allow Class 1 licence holders to drive heavier zero-emissions vehicles, and Class 2 licence holders to drive heavier electric buses.
Mark Stockdale, Policy and Advocacy Advisor, says Transporting New Zealand supports those changes because electric light trucks are dimensionally and dynamically the same as diesel equivalents, but can weigh up to 7,500kg whereas the Class 1 licence limit is 6,000kg.
“We also recommended to officials that Class 2 licence holders should also be able to drive heavier medium-duty electric trucks up to 22,000kg, and not just electric buses. The same principles apply, medium-duty electric trucks are dimensionally and dynamically similar to electric buses, and both are heavier than diesel equivalents,” he said.
“The government says allowing Class 2 drivers to drive heavier electric buses will remove an obstacles to businesses using zero-emissions vehicles. But that argument also applies to electric trucks, so we are disappointed they aren’t included in the rule change. It’s a missed opportunity.”
“Because the electric versions are heavier, they currently need a Class 4 licence compared to Class 2 for the diesel equivalent. That makes it harder to find drivers with the appropriate licence, which is why this change was proposed, but only for buses which we think is a missed opportunity to support the uptake of heavy electric trucks,” Mr Stockdale said.
