Special purpose vehicles that don't meet the safety standards set by the Australian Design Rules or the South Australian Road Traffic Act can be registered under certain conditions.
Special purpose vehicles are vehicles not designed and built for carrying a load or passengers on roads.
How to register
To register a special purpose vehicle:
- complete an MR1A application for conditional registration and third party insurance form (132.1 KB PDF)
- take a photo of the vehicle
- take the photo and form to a Service SA centre
- pay the fee.
Special purpose vehicles may be registered for any 3-month period up to 36 months (for example 2 years and 3 months). Special purpose vehicles may also be registered with a common expiry date subject to approval.
Registration renewals can be paid by direct debit.
If you need to register a vehicle for only part of the year, you may apply for seasonal registration.
What happens next
An assessment will determine which (if any) operating conditions will be applied to the vehicle, which may include:
- daylight travel only
- restrictions on speed
- restrictions on distance that may be travelled
- carrying of warning signs.
The conditions will be applied to the vehicle in the form of a gazette notice, code of practice or exemption. Refer to Gazettes, codes of practice and operating conditions for further details.
What is a special purpose vehicle
Vehicles that have not been designed and built for carrying a load or passengers on roads, such as:
- tractors
- fork-lifts
- mowers
- sweepers
- mobile-cranes
- industrial vehicles
- farm machines
- earth moving vehicles.
Heavy special purpose vehicles (unladen mass exceeding 4,500 kg) fall into one of 3 categories.
Type P - Plant based
Built or permanently modified to operate off road or on road related areas, or on an area of road that is under construction or repair. Examples include forklifts, backhoes, bulldozers, excavators, front-end loaders, tractors, agricultural machines and graders.
Type T - Truck based
Built or permanently modified for use on roads with no axle or axle group that is loaded in excess of the statutory mass limits. This category includes vehicles that are constructed on a truck chassis, either by design or modification. Examples include truck mounted concrete pumps and truck mounted drilling rigs.
Type O - Overmass
A vehicle (other than a type P) built or permanently modified for use on roads that has at least one axle or axle group loaded in excess of the statutory mass limits.
