What is a heavy vehicle?

A heavy vehicle is defined in the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) as a vehicle that has a gross vehicle mass (GVM) or aggregate trailer mass (ATM) of more than 4.5 tonnes. The GVM of a vehicle is the maximum it can weigh when fully loaded, as specified by the manufacturer.

For example, heavy vehicles include:

  • semi-trailers
  • B-double freight trucks
  • road trains
  • passenger buses
  • vehicle carriers
  • livestock and other agricultural vehicles
  • mobile cranes and other special purpose vehicles.