Qld Transport and tyre Guidelines

Had an interesting coversation with Qld Transport Vehicle Modifications section today. This is what they have told me straight out of the Transport Operations section of the Qld Legislation.

Few interesting points.

1. ADR24 that was retired on the 1st of Jan covers tyre and rim selection. By retiring this ADR the states are now responsible for defining their own rules. In the case of Qld they have stuck with the specifications of no more than 15mm increase or 26mm decrease. HOWEVER! this only covers vehicles classed as NA NB and NC (qld transport classifications). These cover your typical sedans and 4wd Wagons. This does not cover light commercial's which includes Hilux's, Navara's etc. So the advice from Qld Transport is that as no modification from the vehicle manufacturers specification is specified by either commonwealth or state law it is not allowed.

2. There is no provision for an engineers certificate to cover tyre or rim modifications in Qld. Vehicle Engineers work under a "Code of Practice" which covers 13 topics such as engine swap, supercharge, extra axle etc. So when you transfer registration from interstate to Qld any modification plates you have for tyres will not be accepted.

So where does it leave us? No idea. There doesnt seem to be any logic as to why tyre and rim selection does not cover light commercials. Especially when Qld Transport publish a modifications guide for vehicles under 4.5 T Guideline, yet as it says on the front page of the document this is not legally binding, and its not until you dig into the law that you discover which vehicle classes under 4.5T are not covered.

So if any retired members with some time on their hands would like to canvas their local MP with a view to pushing to have light commercials included in the law, im sure there would be a few Qld ute drivers who would buy you a beer or six.

Cheers,

Glenno