TMA trucks, arrow boards and support vehicles for hire
A TMA — truck-mounted attenuator — is the crash cushion bolted to the back of a truck that sits between live traffic and your crew. When an errant vehicle enters the worksite at speed, the attenuator absorbs the impact energy so the people working in front of the truck don't. It's not a nice-to-have on high-speed work; under the rules, on much of it, it's not optional at all.
CiviEase hires TMA trucks, arrow board trucks and TTM support vehicles across Christchurch and Canterbury — the category the NZ hire market covers worst, so we've made it the one we explain best.
Mobile work on a live lane coming up?
Send it through — we'll identify the next step, usually within one working day.
What a TMA actually does
The attenuator itself is an energy-absorption cartridge on a rigid steel support structure. In an impact it crushes progressively, doing two things at once: dissipating the crash energy, and stopping the striking vehicle from riding under the truck into the work area. The host truck matters too — it has to meet the minimum weight for the attenuator model, because a too-light truck gets shoved into the crew the attenuator was protecting. That's why compliant setups also require a minimum 10 m roll-ahead distance in front of the shadow vehicle: room for the truck to travel if it's hit.
The compliance rating — for example "MASH TL3" — must be displayed on both sides of the attenuator in 100 mm lettering. If a hired unit doesn't carry its rating visibly, ask why.
TL2 vs TL3, explained properly
TL2 and TL3 are crash-test levels, not road categories. They describe what the attenuator was tested to survive:
- TL2 — tested against a roughly 70 km/h impact. Under the NZ rules, TL2 (NCHRP 350 or MASH) is the minimum for roads with a permanent speed limit of 60 km/h or lower. A compliant RUPD (rear underrun protection device) is also acceptable in that speed environment. Note the phase-out: NCHRP 350-tested TL2 units are being retired from NZ use by 31 December 2028 — MASH-tested gear is the future-proof hire.
- TL3 — tested against a roughly 100 km/h impact, to the MASH standard. Mandatory where the permanent speed limit is 70 km/h or more — and that has been the rule since the end of 2020.
The one-line version: 60 km/h or below, TL2 minimum; 70 km/h or above, TL3 MASH, no exceptions.
When is a TMA required?
Under CoPTTM — still the clearest plain-English reference — the triggers are:
- Level 1 and low-volume roads: no TMA required on vehicles in a mobile operation.
- Level 2 roads: a compliant TMA must be used wherever a mobile operation is on the live lane, or on the shoulder within 2 m of the live lane. And where the working space is on or within 2 m of a live lane, a shadow vehicle with a TMA is required — if you can't provide one, the work has to be done as a static operation instead.
- Level 3 roads: a TMA is mandatory on every shadow vehicle in a mobile operation, full stop.
The NZGTTM transition. NZ's guidance is moving from CoPTTM's fixed road "levels" to NZGTTM's risk-based, per-site assessment — NZTA applies NZGTTM to its own projects from October 2025, and road controlling authorities are transitioning on their own timelines. The labels are retiring; the physics isn't. High-speed work on or near a live lane needs attenuated shadow protection under either framework. If you're unsure which framework your RCA is assessing TMPs against right now, ask us — we design TMPs for both.
Arrow boards — vehicle- and trailer-mounted
The arrow board is the big amber arrow panel that tells drivers which way to go around you. The NZ expectations for TTM use:
- Minimum 25 lamps, 80 mm or larger, amber, legible beyond 800 m, compliant with AS/NZS 4192.
- Sizing by environment: Type A boards (at least 1200 × 600 mm) for lower-speed work; Type B/C (at least 1500 × 700 mm) for high-speed roads.
- Modes: left arrow, right arrow, double arrow and caution (four corners flashing), with day/night dimming.
- Mounting: vehicle-mounted on the rear of a truck or ute — the standard NZ arrangement — or trailer-mounted as a standalone unit.
On shadow and advance-warning vehicles the arrow board and the TMA usually work as a pair: the board moves traffic across early, the attenuator stands behind in case it doesn't.
TTM trucks and utes as support vehicles
Beyond the TMA itself, mobile operations need the right support fleet:
- Arrow board trucks (single or dual cab) — sign trucks for mobile and convoy work.
- AWVMS utes — advance-warning vehicles carrying a VMS display, which can substitute for a tail pilot vehicle within the rules.
- Cone and tipper utes — the workhorses that lay and pick up the static gear.
Hiring the vehicles with the cones, signs and stands they carry — and the VMS boards for advance warning — from one depot beats assembling the fleet from three suppliers the night before a closure.
Who's allowed to operate a TMA?
Here's the honest answer, because the internet is full of invented tickets: there is no standalone NZ "TMA operator warrant". What's required in practice:
- The TMA truck is a heavy vehicle — the driver needs the appropriate NZ licence class.
- The operation runs under an approved TMP, controlled by a qualified STMS at all times. Same rule as every other hire: no approved TMP, no STMS, no compliant site.
- Under NZGTTM, the PCBU must ensure every operator is competent for their task — competency-based, evidenced by training and experience rather than a single named ticket.
- The attenuator must be used to the manufacturer's recommendations, with the driver in the cab and the roll-ahead procedure observed.
We provide operator orientation with the hire so your driver knows the specific unit — its controls, its roll-ahead procedure, its quirks — before it's sitting on a live lane.
What it costs
The NZ TMA hire market is essentially quote-only — most suppliers bundle the truck with a driver (wet hire) or wrap it inside a service contract. If you have competent operators and an approved TMP that calls for attenuated protection, ask us about supply options.
For contractors running repeat mobile work across Canterbury, this page pairs naturally with our civil contractors support — programme-level bookings beat job-by-job scrambles. Full range on the equipment hire hub.
Frequently asked questions
When do I legally need a TMA on site?
Under CoPTTM: on level 2 roads, a compliant TMA is required whenever a mobile operation is on the live lane or within 2 m of it, and on every shadow vehicle for level 3 mobile work. NZGTTM replaces road levels with site-specific risk assessment, but the outcome is the same — high-speed work near live lanes needs attenuated shadow protection, or the work must go static.
What's the difference between TL2 and TL3?
They're crash-test levels. TL2 is tested to roughly 70 km/h impacts and is the minimum for roads posted 60 km/h or below. TL3 is MASH-tested to roughly 100 km/h and is mandatory where the speed limit is 70 km/h or more. NCHRP 350-era TL2 units phase out of NZ use by the end of 2028, so check the test standard as well as the level.
Can I dry-hire a TMA truck and drive it myself?
There's no NZ "TMA ticket", but the practical requirements stack up: the right heavy-vehicle licence class, an approved TMP with a qualified STMS controlling the operation, and demonstrated operator competence under NZGTTM. Most NZ TMA hire is wet hire with a driver for exactly this reason. Talk to us about what supply arrangement fits your crew and your TMP.
Do you supply the arrow board with the TMA truck?
Arrow boards are commonly fitted to shadow and sign trucks as part of the unit, and trailer-mounted boards are available separately. The TMP's sign schedule dictates what's required on each vehicle. Tell us the operation type and speed environment and we'll confirm the fit-out — board size, modes and mounting — against what the approved plan actually calls for.
Paperwork to pavement.
Send us what you have — we'll take it from there.