{"id":"F2006L02298","name":"Vehicle Standard (Australian Design Rule 64/00 – Heavy Goods Vehicles Designed for Use in Road Trains and B-Doubles) 2006","slug":"vehicle-standard-australian-design-rule-64-00-heavy-goods-vehicles-designed-for-use-in-road-trains-a","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":436808,"registerId":"F2006L02298-fast-fetch-1775953888815","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-12","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Vehicle Standard (Australian Design Rule 64/00 – Heavy Goods Vehicles Designed for Use in Road Trains and B-Doubles) 2006","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\nmeta-generator: Aspose.Words for .NET 20.2\n---\n\n?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\" standalone=\"no\"?>\n\n![](image.001.png)\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nVehicle Standard (Australian Design Rule 64/0064/00 – Heavy Goods Vehicles Designed for Use in Road Trains and B-DoublesHeavy Goods Vehicles Designed for Use in Road Trains and B-Doubles) 20062006\n\nI, JAMES ERIC LLOYD, Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads, determine this vehicle standard under subsection 7 (1) of the Motor Vehicle Standards Act 1989.\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nDated  5 July 2006\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n[Signed]\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nJames Eric Lloyd\n\n \n\nMinister for Local Government, Territories and Roads\n\n \n\nCONTENTS\n\n \n\nA. legislative provisions..............................................\n\nB. function........................................................\n\nC. APPLICABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION.........................\n\n64.1. DEFINITIONS...................................................\n\n64.2. not used........................................................\n\n64.3. not used........................................................\n\n64.4. ELECTRICAL REQUIREMENTS...................................\n\n64.5. BRAKING SYSTEM.............................................\n\n\n1. legislative provisions\n  1.                                NAME OF STANDARD\n    1.                          This Standard is the Vehicle Standard (Australian Design Rule 64/00 – Heavy Goods Vehicles Designed for Use in Road Trains and B-Doubles) 2006.\n    2.                          This Standard may also be cited as Australian Design Rule 64/00 — Heavy Goods Vehicles Designed for Use in Road Trains and B-Doubles.\n  2.                                COMMENCEMENT\n    1.                          This Standard commences on the day after it is registered.\n  3.                                REPEAL\n    1.                          This Standard repeals each vehicle standard with the name Australian Design Rule 64/00 — Heavy Goods Vehicles Designed for Use in Road Trains and B-Doubles that is:\n\n\n (a) made under section 7 of the Motor Vehicle Standards Act 1989; and\n\n (b) in force at the commencement of this Standard.\n\nA.3.2.                            This Standard also repeals each instrument made under section 7 of the Motor Vehicle Standards Act 1989 that creates a vehicle standard with the name Australian Design Rule 64/00 — Heavy Goods Vehicles Designed for Use in Road Trains and B-Doubles, if there are no other vehicle standards created by that instrument, or amendments to vehicle standards made by that instrument, that are still in force at the commencement of this Standard.\n\nB.                                         function\n\nThe function of this national standard is to specify additional design and construction requirements for hauling vehicles designed to be used in ‘Road Trains’ and ‘B-Doubles’.\n\nC.                                         APPLICABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION\n\nC.1.                                   Applicability Summary\n\nC.1.1.                             This national standard applies to the design and construction of vehicles as set out in the table below.\n\nC.1.2.                             This national standard covers additional design and construction requirements for hauling vehicles designed to be used in ‘Road Train’ and ‘B-Double’ combination and does not exclude compliance with any other applicable national standards.\n\n \n\n\nC.2.                                   Applicability Table\n\n \n\n| Vehicle Category | ADR Category Code [[*]](#_ftn1) | UNECE Category Code * | Manufactured on or After | Acceptable Prior Rules |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Moped 2 wheels | LA | L1 | Not Applicable |  |\n| Moped 3 wheels | LB | L2 | Not Applicable |  |\n| Motor cycle | LC | L3 | Not Applicable |  |\n| Motor cycle and sidecar | LD | L4 | Not Applicable |  |\n| Motor tricycle | LE | L5 | Not Applicable |  |\n| Passenger car | MA | M1 | Not Applicable |  |\n| Forward-control passenger vehicle | MB | M1 | Not Applicable |  |\n| Off-road passenger vehicle | MC | M1 | Not Applicable |  |\n| Light omnibus | MD | M2 | Not Applicable |  |\n| Heavy omnibus | ME | M3 | Not Applicable |  |\n| Light goods vehicle | NA | N1 | Not Applicable |  |\n| Medium goods vehicle | NB | N2 | Not Applicable |  |\n| Heavy goods vehicle | NC | N3 | 1 July 1991 | Nil |\n| Very light trailer | TA | O1 | Not Applicable |  |\n| Light trailer | TB | O2 | Not Applicable |  |\n| Medium trailer | TC | O3 | Not Applicable |  |\n| Heavy trailer | TD | O4 | Not Applicable |  |\n\n\n64.1.                                DEFINITIONS\n\n64.1.1.                          Refer to Vehicle Standard (Australian Design Rule Definitions and Vehicle Categories) 2005.\n\n64.2.                                not used\n\n64.3.                                not used\n\n64.4.                                ELECTRICAL REQUIREMENTS\n\nVehicles designed for use in a ‘Road Train’ must meet the following requirements:\n\n64.4.1.                          be fitted with a lighting supply system having a minimum capacity available for connection to trailers of 30 amps at 12 V or 15 amps at 24 V in addition to normal vehicle electrical requirements;\n\n64.4.2.                          be fitted with a single connector for trailer lighting and signalling systems;\n\n64.4.3.                          be fitted with resettable circuit breakers for all lighting and signalling equipment circuits; and\n\n64.4.4.                          be equipped with a generator having a minimum rated power output capacity of 100 amps for nominal 12V electrical systems or 50 amps for 24 V systems.\n\n64.5.                                BRAKING SYSTEM\n\n64.5.1.                          Energy Generating Device Vehicles designed for use in a ‘Road Train’ fitted with an energy generating device producing energy at positive pressure must have a minimum air delivery of 5.9 L/s at 690 kPa head pressure for preferential use by the braking system when the engine is operating at the nominated maximum rated engine speed.\n\n64.5.2.                          ‘Antilock System’\n\nVehicles designed for use in a ‘B-Double’ must have an ‘Antilock System’ fitted to all ‘Axle Groups’.\n\n64.5.2.1.                    At speeds exceeding 15 km/h, the wheels on at least one ‘Axle’ in each ‘Axle Group’ must remain unlocked when the full force is suddenly applied on the control device when braking from an initial speed of 40 km/h and from an initial speed of at least 80 km/h on a road surface having approximately uniform surface friction on both sides of the vehicle.  This test is to be performed with the vehicle laden to both ‘Lightly Loaded Test Mass 35/00’ and ‘Maximum Loaded Test Mass 35/00’ and using the general test conditions from ADR 35/... .\n\nBrief periods of locking of the wheels will, however, be allowed, but stability must not be affected.\n\n \n\n \n\n---\n\n\n[[*]](#_ftnref1) The category code may also be in the format L1, LA etc.\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation remains tightly focused on its original purpose: supplementary requirements for heavy vehicles in multi-trailer combinations. It has not expanded beyond electrical and braking systems for Road Trains and B-Doubles."},"complexity_factors":["Short document (approximately 1,500 words)","Only 2 substantive technical sections (electrical and braking)","Minimal defined terms — relies on external ADR Definitions standard for terminology","Simple conditional structure: 'vehicles designed for X must have Y'","No nested exceptions or complex cross-referencing beyond a single reference to ADR 35 for test conditions","Clear applicability table showing most vehicle categories as 'Not Applicable'"],"plain_english_summary":"This law sets out extra safety and design rules for heavy trucks that are built to pull **Road Trains** and **B-Doubles** — the extra-long truck combinations you see on Australian highways.\n\n**What it covers:**\n- **Electrical systems**: Trucks must have heavy-duty wiring (30 amps at 12V or 15 amps at 24V) to power trailer lights, plus a single standard connector, resettable circuit breakers, and a powerful generator (100 amps for 12V systems, 50 amps for 24V).\n- **Braking systems**: \n  - Road Train trucks need powerful air compressors (5.9 litres per second) to keep brakes working under pressure.\n  - B-Double trucks must have **anti-lock braking systems (ABS)** on every axle group (a group of wheels on the same suspension), with specific performance tests to stop wheels locking up during emergency braking.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- Manufacturers building heavy goods vehicles (category NC) from 1 July 1991 onwards.\n- Anyone operating or maintaining Road Trains and B-Doubles.\n\n**Why it matters:**\nThese rules prevent electrical failures and brake fade on massive, multi-trailer rigs that can weigh over 100 tonnes. The ABS requirement for B-Doubles specifically targets stability — when these long combinations brake hard, locked wheels can cause jack-knifing or trailer swing."},"summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Establishes a self-contained vehicle standard for heavy goods vehicles; repeals previous instruments with the same title without altering any other legislation."},"complexity_factors":["Technical specifications for electrical and braking systems","Specific to heavy goods vehicles used in multi-trailer road train and B-double combinations","Requires cross-reference to other vehicle standards and test mass definitions"],"plain_english_summary":"This national vehicle standard sets extra design and construction requirements for heavy goods prime movers (NC category) built on/after 1 July 1991 that tow road trains or B-doubles. It requires increased trailer electrical capacity, a single trailer lighting connector, protected lighting circuits, higher alternator and air‑brake supply capacity for road‑train duty, and mandatory ABS and anti‑lock performance checks for B‑doubles. Manufacturers, importers and operators must meet these rules in addition to other ADRs."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This instrument reiterates and consolidates additional design requirements for heavy goods vehicles used in Road Trains and B‑Doubles (B, C). It repeals prior ADR 64/00 instruments (A.3) but does not expand applicability beyond heavy goods vehicle categories identified in the applicability table (NC/N3) or add new vehicle categories."},"complexity_factors":["Narrow substantive scope but technical specificity: numeric electrical and pneumatic minima (64.4.1, 64.4.4, 64.5.1).","Performance-test detail for ABS: speed, load states and test conditions referencing ADR 35/... and defined test masses (64.5.2.1).","Cross-references to other ADR instruments and definitions (64.1.1; ADR 35/..., Vehicle Standard Definitions 2005) increase compliance traceability.","Reliance on defined terms like 'Axle Group', 'Antilock System' and test mass categories requires consulting external definitions for interpretation.","Legal housekeeping (commencement, repeal clauses A.2–A.3) affects transition and forces checking earlier instruments for remaining in-force amendments."],"plain_english_summary":"This standard (ADR 64/00) sets additional technical design and construction requirements for heavy goods vehicles intended for use in Road Trains and B‑Doubles. It prescribes minimum trailer electrical capacity, a single trailer lighting connector, resettable lighting circuit breakers and generator output (64.4), and braking requirements including minimum air delivery and mandatory antilock systems with specified performance tests (64.5).\n\nThe rules apply to manufacturers/importers and those ensuring vehicle compliance; the instrument also repeals earlier ADR 64/00 instruments (A.3, C)."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/vehicle-standard-australian-design-rule-64-00-heavy-goods-vehicles-designed-for-use-in-road-trains-a","history":"/api/acts/vehicle-standard-australian-design-rule-64-00-heavy-goods-vehicles-designed-for-use-in-road-trains-a/history","analysis":"/api/acts/vehicle-standard-australian-design-rule-64-00-heavy-goods-vehicles-designed-for-use-in-road-trains-a/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/vehicle-standard-australian-design-rule-64-00-heavy-goods-vehicles-designed-for-use-in-road-trains-a/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/vehicle-standard-australian-design-rule-64-00-heavy-goods-vehicles-designed-for-use-in-road-trains-a/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/vehicle-standard-australian-design-rule-64-00-heavy-goods-vehicles-designed-for-use-in-road-trains-a/documents"}}