Following feedback from members, HVIA has lodged its latest submission to the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s (NHVR) review of the Directional Stability Under Braking (DSUB) standards under the updated Performance Based Standards (PBS) requirements. The submission is available here.
The latest submission was brief due to extensive prior consultation on this standard. Generally, HVIA and it members support the revised approach which simplifies the grandfathering of existing vehicles within PBS, but also encourages technology braking upgrades to vehicles entering the scheme for the first time. See previous articles for an overview of some of the changes in the latest consultation paper.
The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) was very responsive in addressing concerns around electronic communications in combinations with more than five trailers by relaxing requirements for dollies in these combinations.
One concern still exists around trailer Electronic Braking System (EBS) status lights and lack of clear guidance on how they should be fitted in the field. HVIA has been further investigating this topic and has been prompted by members to call for a Vehicle Standards Guide specifically on fitment of trailer EBS status lights.
The current DSUB standard requires that new trailers entering the PBS scheme with installed trailer EBS must be fitted with an appropriate means of indicating the status of the system. This must be located on the trailing unit; indicate whether the system is powered-on and whether any system faults are present; and comply with the lighting requirements of the Heavy Vehicle (Vehicle Standards) National Regulation and applicable Australian Design Rules (ADRs).
Currently, there are two known market solutions to meet this requirement. These are:
> Fitment of an information display module which communicates with the proprietary trailer information directly from the trailer EBS unit. These modules are typically fitted to the side of the trailer within the trailer width allowance and have a removable cover. Due to the cover, they do not fall under the lighting requirements for Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) or ADRs and are hence considered compliant. Compliant fitment of these modules is not a concern under the current DSUB standard.
> The second solution is fitment of a trailer EBS status light system which features typically one or two lights which indicate both the operational status of the trailer EBS and whether any faults are present. It has been identified that current lighting ADRs do not explicitly cover these types of lights which leaves industry unclear on best practice for fitment.
There is a planned update package to the current ADRs which will address the topic of trailer status lights including trailer EBS status lights more explicitly, but this is not scheduled to start until Phase 2 of the Vehicle Lighting ADR review which is planned to commence in the third quarter of 2026. This will be after the proposed implementation date for the revised DSUB standard, which is July 1, 2026 and hence not soon enough to address the ambiguity of current standards.
The final HVIA submission in response to DSUB therefore calls for further guidance from NHVR on how to fit a compliant trailer EBS status light or lights and a clarification on vehicle stability functionality on dollies. We will continue to work with the NHVR to resolve this issue and with the Department of Infrastructure to address this topic in the revised ADRs for lighting.