Roles and responsibilities

Updated: 7 January 2011

This section describes the roles of the various participants in an electronic RUC system.

The Ministry of Transport

The Ministry administers the RUC legislation and is responsible for:

• providing policy advice to the government on changes to RUC legislation
• providing advice to the Secretary on applications for approval of electronic distance recorders
• monitoring improvements in technology.

The Secretary has overall statutory responsibility for the RUC system and is responsible for:

• granting approvals for electronic distance recorders under regulation 6A of the Regulations
• setting the terms and conditions of an approval
• varying or revoking existing approvals.

The NZ Transport Agency

The NZTA administers the RUC system under delegated authority from the Secretary and is responsible for:

• the collection of RUC, including the appointment of agents to act on its behalf
• auditing and investigating transport operators in order to assess RUC compliance and, when necessary, recover outstanding RUC
• managing the process of testing electronic distance recorders
• providing a recommendation to the Secretary on applications for approval of electronic distance recorders
• auditing electronic service providers to ensure compliance with agency agreements and the terms and conditions of the Secretary's approval
• monitoring improvements in technology.

The New Zealand Police

The New Zealand Police (the Police) enforce the RUC regime through the criminal justice system.

The Police are responsible for:

• inspecting each proposed electronic distance recorder as part of the NZTA testing process and providing an endorsement that it meets their needs for roadside enforcement of RUC
• roadside enforcement, usually through roadside inspections and the issuing of offence notices.

Electronic service providers

Electronic service providers are private sector companies that:

• have been authorised as agents by the NZTA
• have an electronic distance recorder approved by the Secretary.

These companies may also provide commercial services (e.g., fleet-tracking) to transport operators in addition to RUC functions.

As an electronic service provider you are responsible for:

• development or provision of the electronic distance recorder
• issuing electronic RUC licences and forwarding revenue to the NZTA
• ensuring that electronic RUC services are performed in accordance with the terms of your agency agreement with the NZTA and the Secretary's approval of your electronic distance recorder
• ongoing management of the installation, repair and exception resolution process (including monitoring attempts to tamper with the device) for your electronic distance recorders
• ensuring that transport operators have 100% access to records you hold on their behalf
• complying with RUC legislation
• obtaining legal advice to ensure avoiding the infringement of other's intellectual property rights.

Transport operators

A transport operator is an operator of one or more heavy vehicles.

In the context of electronic RUC, transport operators are responsible for:

• engaging the services of an electronic service provider
• purchasing appropriate RUC licences
• ensuring that each of their vehicles are fitted with a functioning, approved distance recorder
• notifying the NZTA of a change of distance recorder (although in some instances this process may be undertaken by an electronic service provider on their behalf)
• ensuring compliance with RUC legislation.