The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) is targeting a mid-2026 start for sweeping Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) reforms, Strategic Policy Director, Paul Daly, told delegates at the VTA State Conference this week.
Daly said the regulator is in the final stages of it and is preparing for a 1 July 2026 start.
The changes, according to Daly, would be significant, but not disruptive for most operators.
“A fair bit is changing, but not a lot, if that makes sense,” he said.
At the centre of the reforms is a shift toward accreditation-led compliance, with a new Heavy Vehicle Accreditation (HVA) model replacing the current NHVAS framework over time.
Operators seeking concessions will need to demonstrate a compliant Safety Management System – SMS.
“To get a concession you will need to show us that you have an SMS that is approved and audited for your business,” said Daly.
A new National Audit Standard has been finalised and is awaiting ministerial sign-off, while ministerial guidelines and compliance hour standards will underpin the updated framework.
General Mass Limits (GML) will also evolve, effectively aligning with current Concessional Mass Limits (CML), alongside incremental increases to vehicle dimensions in future phases.
Penalties are being recalibrated, with 71 changes flagged.
“Twenty-one are going down – the administrative type ones,” said Daly.
“The ones that are going up are the far more serious ones, where people get very hurt or damage gets quite nasty.”
A broadened definition of ‘unfit to drive’ will also be introduced, extending beyond fatigue to include physical and mental wellbeing.
“The obligation is firmly on the driver to be saying ‘I am unfit to drive’,” said Daly.
Importantly, Daly stressed there would be no abrupt transition.
“There’s no iron curtain that says you’re no longer accredited,” he said, confirming existing accreditations can run through to August 2028, with flexible transition pathways in place.
The NHVR is now ramping up industry engagement and communications ahead of the rollout.
“We are about to ramp this up tenfold,” said Daly.
“Everyone should be thinking about it, understanding what might be changing in their role.”
More VTA State Conference 2026 news:
- Crackdown call on sham contracting
- $8M freight decarbonisation fund coming soon
- NHVR targets high-risk operators
- Freight Victoria on decarbonisation, growth
- Port of Melbourne’s rail, trade expansion focus
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