Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) Review

The National Transport Commission has been asked by the Transport and Infrastructure Council (State and Federal Transport Ministers) to undertake a review of the Heavy Vehicle National Law(HVNL).

The intent of the review is to produce a performance-based and outcomes-focused regulation that will:

• improve safety for all road users
• support increased economic productivity and innovation
• simplify administration and enforcement of the law
• support the use of new technologies and methods of operation, and
• provide flexible, outcome-focused compliance options.

The Heavy Vehicle National Law has been in operation since February 2014 and was due for review in 2020. However, Ministers decided to bring forward the review of the HVNL.

The scope of the Review will include the entirety of the HVNL and regulations, other than the functions of the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator.

The Review will consider matters such as:

• whether the objects of the HVNL remain appropriate and clear
• the efficacy of the HVNL in fulfilling its objects
• closer alignment with model Work Health and Safety Law
• the benefits of increasing national consistency of heavy vehicle regulation, able to adapt and apply sensibly to remote, regional and urban areas
• the varied freight task and capacity of those in the road freight supply chain to comply with the HVNL
• opportunities to remove legislative hurdles to efficient administration of the law
• opportunities to restructure and simplify the HVNL, remove redundancy and move detail down the hierarchy of legislative instruments, and
• the capacity of the law to accommodate new business models, digital technologies and data.

Transport Ministers have appointed a panel of experts to assist in the review

In 2019 the NTC released eight issues papers as follows:

• Risk-based heavy vehicle regulation
• Effective fatigue management
• Easy access to suitable routes
• Safe vehicles
• Safe people and safe practices
• Accrediting operators to deliver best practice
• Managing compliance, and
• Other policy matters.

HVIA’s response to the Safe Vehicle issues paper can be viewed here: [PDF]

Since the COVID outbreak began there have been some personnel changes in the NTC and there has been little progress on the HVNL review.

The Government has appointed Ken Kanofski to engage with Industry on progress of the review so far and expected to provide a report back to Transport Ministers in late April 2022.

The report will:

• Recommend policy settings for a New Heavy Vehicle National Law designed to produce productivity improvements
• Highlight unresolved policy issues and systemic barriers
• Recommend a way forward to deliver the new legislation

Please Contact HVIA’s National Manager Policy and Government Relations, Greg Forbes g.forbes@hvia.asn.au 0437923755 for further information.