COTTON pickers have been given special exemptions for using oversize vehicles on major roads due to the bumper harvest.
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After consultation with the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA), NSW Roads Minister, Duncan Gay, said the usually-over mass John Deere 7760 cotton picking machine will be given a Class 1 permit to allow it to be driven for a maximum of 80 kilometres a trip on state roads.
For trips longer than 80km the machines must be carried on a low loader and cannot be driven under their own power.
Under the exemption the John Deere 7760, which operates in Western NSW, is not permitted to cross timber bridges or bridges unsuitable for Higher Mass Limit semi-trailer loads and pilot vehicles must also be in place for safety as specified in the General Class 1 Oversize (Agricultural Vehicle) Notice 2007.
The exemptions will be in place only for the 2011 cotton season.
Mr Gay said these exemptions followed on from those announced before Easter to allow oversize vehicles involved in the 2011 cotton harvest.
"I'm pleased that the cotton industry and RTA have been able to work together on these issues to come up with sensible solutions," he said.
"This is another example of how the Government is moving quickly to change the culture of the RTA to one of customer focus."
Cotton Australia estimate the 2011 harvest in northern NSW would generate approximately $1.3 billion in revenue, or more than half the total forecast of the Australian cotton crop.
