A new vehicle loading standard for road bridges in New Zealand

With the progressive increase in heavy vehicle loadings associated with improved transport vehicle technology, the current vehicle loading standard for the design of bridges in New Zealand, first introduced in 1972, may not be appropriate for use in the design of future bridges. This paper describes the development of a revised vehicle loading standard for the design of bridges in New Zealand. It is based upon a literature review of current traffic loading specifications in New Zealand and overseas; the future freight need and likely configuration of vehicles to meet that need; weigh-in-motion data from current traffic; responses to an industry questionnaire on desired vehicle configurations; and loading effects from a range of legally loaded vehicles, permit application vehicles and mobile cranes.