Vehicle Standards team

Our Vehicle Standards team considers vehicle standards and safety issues to decide if an application for a vehicle modification, exemption or In-principle Support should be granted.

What we do

We look after enquiries relating to unusual heavy vehicles, such as those that have been designed with a specific purpose, modified in some way, incorporate a new or innovative design, or are unable to comply with vehicle standards.

Our tasks include:

  • Applying Vehicle Standards to heavy vehicles – these can be either standards imposed by the NHVR or those from the Commonwealth (for example, Australian Design Rules).
  • Processing approved exemptions from Vehicle Standards.
  • Processing approved modifications to heavy vehicles.
  • Processing In-principal Support for the importation or building of non-standard road vehicles including SPVs.
  • Providing authorised officers and industry with detailed requirements for the inspection of heavy vehicles as outlined in the National Heavy Vehicle Inspection Manual (NHVIM).

How we support vehicle safety and performance

There are a few times when a vehicle may cross paths with the team these include:

Support for the vehicle before it is built:

  • In-principal Support: Our team provides administrative assurance when a non-standard vehicle requests to be allowed to operate on a road.

After the vehicle is built

  • Exemptions: Any vehicle that cannot comply with vehicle standards has to be issued with an exemption from those standards. Our team assesses and issues applications for exemptions in line with heavy vehicle law.
  • Modifications: When a vehicle is modified, it is important to ensure that the modifications do not cause the vehicle to become unsafe.

When a vehicle is sold

  • Most commonly, exemptions and complex modification approvals are issued to the owner of the vehicle. When the vehicle changes hands, a new exemption or approval is required.

Requirements for new vehicles

The Commonwealth Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications (the Department of Infrastructure) are responsible for the road vehicle standards laws that apply to both heavy and light vehicles before they are provided to a consumer for the first time in Australia.

The Department assesses whether vehicles meet Australian Design Rules for vehicle safety, security, energy consumption and emissions control and are responsible for applying the Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018 (Cth) (RVSA).

For more information about the implementation of the RVSA refer to Vehicle Standards Guide 33 (VSG 33)

Requirements for in-service vehicles

Once a vehicle is provided to a consumer for the first time in Australia it is classed as ‘in-service’, the NHVR is responsible for applying the Heavy Vehicle (Vehicle Standards) National Regulation (VS Regulation), under the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) and for granting or denying exemptions across participating regions (ACT, NSW, Qld, SA, Tas, and Vic).

Our Vehicle Safety and Performance team oversee this process.

Contact us

Our dedicated Vehicle Standards team is here to help with your application and answer any technical questions you may have.

Email vehiclestandards@nhvr.gov.au or get in touch through the NHVR Contact Centre.