Whenever any automobile manufacturer brings a new vehicle to the marketplace, it is the result of thousands of hours of design work and some painstaking attention to detail behind the scenes. The manufacturer has to work with government regulators, who want to know that the vehicle is inherently safe for use as-is on the public road. Without this satisfaction, the manufacturer would not get a licence to sell the vehicle and would not get clearance from the insurance industry, either. Of course, when this vehicle is driven off the showroom floor by its new owner, anything could happen in an unregulated world. The new owner could carry out some serious modifications that would render the vehicle unfit for use on the road and this is where Australian Design Rules and other tough regulations come into play. Why do you need to be aware of these rules before you carry out any modifications to your ride?
Safety First
If you've bought a standard ute from a manufacturer and plan to use this vehicle for commercial purposes, then you may be thinking about adding a special tray body and otherwise configuring the vehicle for your work. This may well take the vehicle outside its legal gross vehicle mass (aka GVM), which is the maximum permitted weight when the vehicle is fully loaded. These rules are quite clear, and you'd be surprised how easy it is to exceed your GVM in a situation like this. If you were to drive the vehicle in this condition, you could open yourself up to some serious fines if you were caught.
Upgrade
Instead, you need to get an upgrade so that your vehicle is road legal, and this will typically require fitting a stronger suspension system beneath. These upgrade kits are specially designed for the purpose and take into account the extra load on the axles, together with specific brake function tests, to make sure that the vehicle can perform adequately in everyday conditions.
Getting the Work Done
You need to go to a facility that has been certified to perform this upgrade like this, as they will need to give you a modification approval number once the work is complete. In turn, you will need to go to a licensing centre and fill in the relevant forms to register your vehicle's VIN number together with the modification approval details collected earlier.
Must Do
You have a lot of work ahead of you as you start your new commercial operation. Don't forget to add your GVM upgrade to this list before you get going.