Wellington, May 28 NZPA - Former ACT Party deputy leader Ken Shirley will become chief executive of the Road Transport Forum when former National Party cabinet minister Tony Friedlander retires from the lobby group in July.

Mr Shirley first entered Parliament as the Labour Party member for Tasman in 1984. A foundation member of ACT and deputy leader since its formation, Mr Shirley returned to Parliament in 1996 as an ACT list MP, serving until 2005.

Yesterday state-owned coal miner Solid Energy said two of its trucks were New Zealand's first recipients of High Productivity Motor Vehicle (HPMV) permits issued by the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA).

The permits allow the trucks to carry up to 50 tonne loads along the 60km route between New Vale Mine and a customer in Edendale, Southland.

HPMV permits which came into effect on May 1, allow existing weight and dimensions rules for trucks to be amended to allow a new class of vehicle, called high productivity motor vehicles, to operate under a special H permit on specified routes, displaying H plates at all times.

The Road Transport Forum lobbied for the change.

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