Special Purpose Vehicles

Special Purpose Vehicles are vehicles that have not been designed and built for carrying a load or passengers on roads eg

• tractors
  
• fork-lifts
  
• mowers
  
• sweepers
  
• mobile-cranes
  
• industrial vehicles
  
• farm machines
  
• earth moving vehicles.

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 eg

• daylight travel only
  
• restrictions on speed
  
• restrictions on distance that may be travelled
  
• carrying warning signs.

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 offroad, 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, 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 mobile cranes 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.

Registration periods

You may register a Special Purpose Vehicle for any 3 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.

Contact a Customer Service Centre for more information.