In September 2006, Land Transport New Zealand published a new Land Transport Rule on Heavy Vehicle Brakes, Rule 32015. This new rule replaces the various current New Zealand regulations and codes of practice on heavy vehicle braking, consolidates the requirements into one document and updates them to reflect current braking technology.
Land Transport Rule 32015 applies to all vehicles with a GVW exceeding 3500 kg, including trucks, trailers, buses and coaches, and covers both hydraulic and air brake systems. It includes requirements on the layout and design of the brake system, brake performance, anti-lock brake systems, brake hoses and on the compressors, reservoirs, protection valves and couplings used in air brake systems.
The new rule requires that imported vehicles must comply with one of the braking regulations specified within the rule, at the level of amendment applicable when the vehicle was produced. The specified regulations include EC Directive 71/320/EEC, ECE Regulation No. 13, FMVSS 105, FMVSS 121, ADR 35 and the equivalent Japanese Standards.
For domestically produced vehicles which are not designed to tow a trailer, the new rule applies requirements which are equivalent to those of the specified foreign regulations. For domestically produced vehicles which are designed to tow a trailer, the requirements of the new rule include a requirement for the mandatory fitment of a load sensing valve or an anti-lock braking system.
This new rule comes into force from 1st March 2007. However, the requirements which entail the mandatory fitment of load sensing valves and anti-lock brake systems do not come into force until 1st July 2008.