Road transport operators are "once again…having to pay the price" for decades of regulatory failure by the New Zealand Transport Agency, the Road Transport Forum believes.
The RTF is "extremely frustrated" with the situation relating to the certification of towing equipment.
RTF chief executive Nick Leggett says that the announcement that "the situation with the Patrick Chu-designed drawbars and drawbeams is worse than previously thought, will come as a significant blow to those road transport operators running the affected equipment."
NZTA announced a programme for recertification or replacement of the affected drawbars and drawbeams, offering limited exemptions of three, six or 12 months – based on a risk-based assessment. 
However, during the exemption period, trailer operating mass will be reduced to 75% of the current mass to provide for a sufficient safety margin on the equipment.
Says Leggett: "While the industry accepts that the staggered programme is the only responsible way of protecting public safety, the reduction in operating mass will have significant financial ramifications for many operators and potential wider economic impacts, with a reduction in their ability to carry.
"There is no doubt that the necessary load reductions will seriously impact the ability of many transport firms to fulfil their obligated freight task and will prove very stressful for operators already dealing with extremely tight margins."
Leggett insists that operators expect and "are entitled to assurance of quality when seeking a professional engineering service on equipment that assists them in safely operating their business and securing their livelihood.
"For NZTA to not have appropriate oversight of these engineering services is pretty unforgiveable.
"It is now absolutely critical that Minister Twyford and NZTA establish a new regime where such failures can never happen again. The industry is ready and willing to engage on that."