NZTD News

A full night closure of State Highway 1 northbound is planned at Transmission Gully as part of ongoing construction of the Mackays Commercial Vehicle Safety Centre (CVSC).

On Monday, 20 April (9 pm – 4:30 am), contractors will install a gantry that will provide electronic messaging for heavy vehicle compliance and safety operations once the CVSC is operational.

While this is underway, the northbound lanes through State Highway 1 Transmission Gully will have to be closed to traffic to allow the gantry to be safely...

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) is adding a new security feature to driver licences by embossing the driver’s date of birth over their photo on the licence card. 

The change takes effect for new licence cards issued from today (Monday 13 April 2026).  

The inclusion of an embossed date of birth is a commonly used security feature for driver licence cards overseas, and provides secondary verification of the date of birth already printed beside the photo.  

“Embossing is difficult to rep...

Road freight association Transporting New Zealand is calling for Gisborne District Council to urgently repair Tiniroto Road between Gisborne and Wairoa, warning its deteriorating condition is creating serious safety risks and costs for freight operators and other road users. 

Transporting New Zealand Membership Manager Lindsay Calvi-Freeman says members have raised concerns about extensive potholing, surface failure, and damage to vehicles. 

“Our members and their customers are paying the price every da...

A long-awaited upgrade to a key State Highway 1 intersection is now underway after government support for the project.

Contractors on behalf of the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) have this week started work on upgrading the site in Timaru between SH1/Evans Street, Grants Road and the Showgrounds Shopping Centre, following the successful completion of other necessary roading work at the intersection. 

“The state of the intersection has not only been an issue for those travelling on SH1, it’s ...

Heavy vehicle wheel alignments must be one of the most overlooked maintenance services that the transport industry faces today. With the increasing deterioration of New Zealand’s roads, component failure and tyre wear are big factors in the life of a truck in this day and age.

Benefits of wheel alignments - A correctly aligned truck will be easier to drive, cause the driver less fatigue, and have better tyre wear, along with better fuel economy. In a time where Health and Safety is at the forefront of importance, heavy...

It’s been another week dominated by fuel price rises and increasing pressure on freight operators. Despite these record operator costs, trucks continue their essential work.

We remain in the “Watchful” first phase of the Government’s Fuel Response Plan, letting normal market forces manage demand. In other words, as the price of fuel increases, there will come a point where some trips won’t be made, or will be made by other means. This could also include trips being made more productively, for example through carpooling...