Thinking about a PBS combination?

A Performance Based Standards (PBS) combination can offer opportunities to carry freight more efficiently. Choosing the right combination starts with understanding what you carry, where you load and deliver, and how the vehicle will fit into your fleet.

PBS covers a range of vehicle combinations. The right configuration for your business depends on the freight task, vehicle specifications and access available. Start with your operation, then compare the options that could suit the work you need to do.

Start with the freight

Consider a typical week of work. What freight are you carrying, what does it weigh, and how much space does it occupy? Are your loads consistent, or do they vary between customers and seasons?

If you regularly reach your mass limit before filling the vehicle, examine whether the proposed configuration could provide a useful payload increase. If you run out of space first, loading capacity and body or trailer layout may be more relevant. Include the combination’s tare weight and how the load will be distributed across the axle groups in the comparison.

The aim is to understand the payload you could realistically use on your regular work, including any return loads.

Look closely at loading and delivery locations

List the sites the combination needs to reach, including depots, customer premises, farms, ports and distribution centres. Then consider how it will move through each location.

Look at gate widths, tight turns, loading areas, reversing movements and space to wait or turn around. Consider whether the site’s loading equipment and procedures suit the proposed vehicle configuration. Where vehicle movements need closer examination, a swept path assessment can help inform the review.

Include occasional destinations as well as your main customers. They may affect how flexibly you can use the combination.

Plan the complete route early

Map the full journey between each loading and delivery point, including local roads and the final approach to the site. Consider the intended operating mass and any alternative routes your business may need.

PBS vehicle approval and road access are separate requirements. A Vehicle Approval does not provide unrestricted access to every road. The combination must meet an applicable notice’s conditions or obtain the necessary access permit.

Review access before committing to a purchase or final specification. This helps identify roads or operating conditions that need further investigation and gives you a more realistic basis for planning.

Check how it fits into your fleet

Review the prime movers or rigid trucks and trailers you intend to use, including their specifications, ratings and coupling arrangements. Consider the practical implications for maintenance, tyres, driver familiarisation and daily scheduling.

If you plan to swap trucks, prime movers or trailers, check which combinations are approved in your PBS Vehicle Approval. Its combination matrix identifies which hauling and trailing units are approved to operate together. Physical coupling compatibility alone is not enough.

Compare PBS combinations against the actual task

Compare suitable PBS options using the same freight, routes and loading locations. Consider usable payload, tare weight, site suitability, fleet flexibility and operating costs. Any productivity benefit depends on the approved vehicle configuration, applicable mass limits and available access.

BTT Engineering can help review proposed configurations and support PBS approval and access planning. Bring us your freight details, loading and delivery addresses, proposed routes and available vehicle specifications so we can discuss the options for your operation.