Growing up, I was one of those kids who loved pouring over the maps I found in my grandfather's yellow National Geographic magazines. I would take imaginary journeys through the desert to the source of the Nile, sail from the Atlantic to the Pacific through the elusive Arctic northwest passage, even storming the beaches at D-Day. My love of maps has only grown since then.

Today, with military-grade GPS now available in our phones and numerous other devices, the utilities of digital mapping are nearly infinite. Transport operators use telematics every day, tracking and managing truck movements with pinpoint accuracy.

With the summer season nearly upon us, road controlling authorities are getting in touch with NRC to share their forward works plans. As always, contractors take advantage of the dry season, and the holiday season to get works done. This means road availability can become a moving feast.

But luckily, there are some great digital mapping tools available online to help avoid the disruptions, and to maximise route efficiencies.

Forward Works Planning Map (NZTA)

This great tool captures all of the planned works throughout the state highway network. It captures all of the planned for October to March. Users can filter by network area (which part of the country) and treatment (asphalt, chipseal or pavement rehabilitation). Just click on the area you are interested in and drill down to the highway level and you can see a detailed view of where the works will be occurring.

National Forward Works Viewed (all road controlling authorities)

Taking it to the next level, this map displays all of the planned works for road corridors across 13 different RCAs (Auckland, Gisborne, Napier-Hastings, Wellington, Nelson-Marlborough, Christchurch, Dunedin and Queenstown). It is a little trickier to use, requiring a login account to be setup, but it rewards the effort with functionality. Users can search an area of interest on the map, save it as a watchlist, and be notified of any project activity within the area of interest. This is a great way to keep on top of planned works in your region.

Full HPMV Map

Known as the High Productivity Motor Vehicle Map, and it is designed for HPMV permit holders to determine which roads they are allowed to take. It details which State Highways and Local Authority Roads are approved for High Productivity Motor Vehicles (HPMV) at heavier weights. Permit holders will be able to access any route on this map removing the need for individual route specific permits. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Team (CVST) will be able to access this map when they stop a vehicle to validate if the route is allowed.

These maps will help give you a head start on trip times and driver hours.

Good luck with the summer planning.

Justin Tighe-Umbers, Chief Executive, National Road Carriers Assn