Special purpose vehicles are not built for on-road use and therefore may not conform to the safety standards set by the Australian Design Rules or the South Australian
Road Traffic Act. For this reason there may be conditions set on the use of these vehicles on roads.
What is a special purpose vehicle?
Special purpose vehicles are vehicles that have not been designed and built for carrying a load or passengers on roads, such as:
- tractors
- fork-lifts
- mowers
- sweepers
- mobile-cranes
- industrial vehicles
- farm machines
- earth moving vehicles.
Heavy special purpose vehicles (unladen mass exceeding 4500kg) fall into one of three categories.
- Type P - Plant based
A vehicle built or permanently modified to operate off road, or on road related areas, or on an area of road that is under construction or repair. Examples include forklifts, backhoes, bulldozers, excavators, front-end loaders, tractors, agricultural machines and graders.
- Type T - Truck based
A vehicle built or permanently modified primarily for use on roads that has no axle or axle group loaded in excess of the statutory mass limits. This category includes vehicles that are constructed on a truck chassis, either by design or modification. Examples include truck mounted concrete pumps and truck mounted drilling rigs.
- Type O - Overmass
A vehicle (other than a type P) built or permanently modified for use on roads that has at least one axle or axle group loaded in excess of the statutory mass limits.
Conditions for registering special vehicles
Conditions for special vehicles may include:
- daylight travel only
- restrictions on speed
- restrictions on distance that may be travelled
- carrying of warning signs.
How to register a special purpose vehicle
Special purpose vehicles may be registered for any three-month period up to 36 months (for example 2 years and 3 months). A special purpose vehicle may also be registered with a common expiry subject to approval.
If you need to register a vehicle for only part of the year, you may apply for seasonal registration and pay for a single period of 3, 6 or 9 months.
Registration of special purpose vehicles may need to be checked by the Road Transport Assessment and Safety Group to set vehicle condition codes. Go to roadworthy inspections for further information.
For more information, telephone 13 10 84 or go to a Service SA customer service centre.