Key heavy vehicle National Law Review Updates for 4.5t+ Operators

How will the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) Review – What You Need to Know

The HVNL Review is progressing, with major reforms expected to modernise fatigue, licensing, Chain of Responsibility (CoR) responsibilities, and how vehicles are captured under the law.

Previously, the national law only really focused on 12 tonne and above vehicle or what they called fatigue related vehicles. There are now proposed changes to National Laws that are going through QLD parliament, that include vehicles 4.5 tonne and above will now be required to meet certain standards of safety and fatigue.

Many companies, especially in building, construction, landscaping, civil, and residential works, regularly tow machinery, operate small trucks, or run mixed fleets.

These changes will directly impact how you manage vehicles, drivers, and record keeping.

What You Need to Know – Vehicles from 4.5 tonnes GVM and above will be more formally captured. Any vehicle 4.5t GVM or above is treated as a heavy vehicle under the HVNL.

This includes:

• Light rigid tippers
• Service trucks
• Crane trucks
• Utes towing machinery trailers
• Small trucks commonly used on construction sites

This strengthens CoR responsibilities relating to:

• Mass and loading
• Load restraint
• Vehicle standards
• Driver competency
• Fatigue (when applicable)

Many operators currently overlook these requirements for vehicles around the 4.5t mark.

What LR and MR Operators MUST Still Do. Even without a work diary, operators must comply with the expanded fitness-to-drive and Safety Management System (SMS) requirements:

• Daily fit-for-duty declarations
• Medical fitness evidence (Austroads standards)
• Licence & competency checks
• Verification of Competency (VoC)
• Supervisor oversight of work scheduling
• Safety Management System (SMS) procedures and recordkeeping

These are now mandatory for all heavy vehicles 4.5 tonnes GVM and above, even for local-area operators.

Fatigue rules for local area use include:

• Staying within local area radius
• Returning to the same base each day
• Not exceeding the local area boundary
• Maintaining supporting records
• Demonstrating compliance if stopped by an inspector

With upcoming fatigue reforms, expect these rules to tighten further.

A major change affecting small operators and subcontractors is the Fitness-to-Drive Requirements Apply to ALL 4.5t+ – Vehicles Under HVNL 2025, fitness-to-drive

obligations expand to include every driver operating a vehicle from 4.5 tonnes GVM and above.

This includes:

• LR/MR trucks
• Small rig trucks
• Crane trucks
• Tippers
• Utes towing heavy machinery trailers

Drivers must meet:

• Daily fit-for-duty checks
• Medical fitness (Austroads standards)
• Reporting of medical conditions
• Fatigue and impairment monitoring
• Supervisor oversight of scheduling and workload

Chain of Responsibility (CoR) Expectations Are Increasing. The HVNL review reinforces that all businesses must actively manage:

• Driver competency
• Fatigue risks
• Subcontractor compliance
• Mass and loading
• Training and induction
• Record keeping

These issues are persistent on worksites and will attract greater regulatory attention under the new

• HVNL model. Common issues identified include:
• Mixed fleets (vehicles + trailers + small trucks) operating above GVM or GCM
• Drivers not holding the correct licence class
• Lack of fatigue records (even when under 12t)
• No VoC or competency evidence
• Load restraint failures
• Poor training documentation

MBA will hold a information session in the New Year with the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator to provide further information on the changes to the NHVL and updates to the Master Code.

IF you have any questions please contact the MBA Advisory Team on 6175 5900 or at workplace@mba.org.au