Road User Charges and Operating a Heavy Vehicle
What this domain tests
This domain covers how heavy vehicles pay for road use and the operator's legal duties: road user charges, licensing, mass and dimension limits, and records.
Who pays RUC
Road user charges are a distance-based charge. They apply to all diesel-powered vehicles and to every vehicle with a GLM over 3,500 kg, whatever fuel it uses - light petrol vehicles pay through fuel excise instead. Trailers over 3,500 kg GLM need their own licence.
How the charge works
- Distance is bought in units of 1,000 km; the RUC licence label must be displayed.
- The rate depends on the RUC weight band and vehicle type. RUC weight is the heaviest weight the vehicle will operate at, rounded up to the next 1,000 kg.
- The distance must be covered by a licence bought before you travel; you cannot buy retrospectively to cover a trip already made.
- Electronic RUC (eRUC) through an approved provider records distance automatically.
Operating legally
Goods and passenger services need a transport service licence. Mass, width, height and length limits apply, and oversize or high-productivity vehicles need permits. Drivers must carry and produce the RUC licence and logbook when required.
Worked example
A rigid truck is licensed at a RUC weight of 22,000 kg at an illustrative rate of $74 per 1,000 km. It has 800 km left on its licence and 3,500 km of work next month. Reasoning: 3,500 − 800 = 2,700 km of shortfall; because distance is sold in 1,000 km units, buy 3,000 km - 3,000 × $74/1,000 = $222. Note that buying at the 22,000 kg band while actually running at 23,500 kg is a separate offence.
Traps that cost marks
- Declaring a lower RUC weight than the vehicle actually operates at.
- Forgetting that a heavy trailer needs its own licence.
- Confusing RUC with vehicle registration or the CoF.
- Believing an expired licence can be fixed by buying distance after the trip.