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Land Transport Act 1998

Enforcement of responsibilities - Enforcement powers for offences involving certain vehicles

125: Stopping, inspection, and weighing of heavy vehicles and certain transport service vehicles

You could also call this:

“Rules for checking and weighing big trucks and some work vehicles on the road”

An enforcement officer can do several things to heavy motor vehicles or transport service vehicles (except light rental service vehicles) on the road. They can check the load, measure the weight of the vehicle or its axles, and tell the driver to take the vehicle to a specific place to be weighed. This helps enforce the Land Transport Act and the Road User Charges Act.

The officer can also use these powers if they think a vehicle is a heavy motor vehicle or transport service vehicle, even if it turns out not to be.

When telling a driver to go to a weighing site, the officer can’t make the journey more than 5 km longer. However, if the current spot isn’t safe or level enough for weighing, they can extend this to 10 km.

If you’re driving a heavy motor vehicle or goods service vehicle, you must stop when a sign tells you to or when an enforcement officer asks you to. This allows the officer to decide if they need to check or weigh your vehicle, or use any other powers they have under this Act.

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This page was last updated on

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM435125.

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124: Inspection of vehicles required to have evidence of vehicle inspection and certificate of loading, or

"Checking vehicles that need safety papers"

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126: Off-loading of overloaded vehicle, or

"Rules for when a vehicle is too heavy for the road or a bridge"

Part 9 Enforcement of responsibilities
Enforcement powers for offences involving certain vehicles

125Stopping, inspection, and weighing of heavy vehicles and certain transport service vehicles

  1. An enforcement officer may at any time exercise all or any of the following powers in respect of a heavy motor vehicle or transport service vehicle (other than a light rental service vehicle) on a road:

  2. inspect the load on the vehicle:
    1. measure, or require to be measured, the weight of the vehicle or the weight on any of its axles:
      1. direct the driver or person in charge of the vehicle to drive the vehicle to a site and on to a weighing device specified by the enforcement officer for the purpose of enforcing the provisions of this Act or the Road User Charges Act 2012 or any other enactment, even though the driver may not otherwise be permitted to drive the vehicle to that site.

        1. The power conferred by subsection (1)(c) is also exercisable in respect of a vehicle an enforcement officer believes to be a heavy motor vehicle or transport service vehicle (other than a light rental service vehicle).

        2. Except where the driver has failed to stop when directed under subsection (4), nothing in subsection (1) authorises an enforcement officer to direct the driver or person in charge, in order to drive the vehicle to a site or weighing device, to travel a distance that would increase the total length of the journey by—

        3. more than 5 km; or
          1. more than 10 km, if the site where the vehicle has been brought to a stop is unsuitable for weighing the vehicle because—
            1. doing so may pose a safety risk to other road users or to the enforcement officer; or
              1. the site is not level enough for accurate weighing.

              2. The driver of a heavy motor vehicle or goods service vehicle must, whenever directed by a sign specifying that that particular vehicle or vehicles of that vehicle’s class must stop or by an enforcement officer, stop the vehicle and keep it stopped so that an enforcement officer may determine whether or not to take any action under subsection (1) or to complete the exercise of any other power conferred on an enforcement officer by this Act.

              Notes
              • Section 125(1)(c): amended, on , by section 94 of the Road User Charges Act 2012 (2012 No 1).
              • Section 125(3)(b): replaced, on , by section 53(1) of the Land Transport Amendment Act 2017 (2017 No 34).
              • Section 125(4): amended, on , by section 53(2) of the Land Transport Amendment Act 2017 (2017 No 34).