Latest news

The NHVR is urging all road users to give agricultural vehicles extra space on the road ahead of this year’s planting and harvest season.

The call comes during National Farm Safety Week (18-24 July), which is dedicated to raising awareness of farm safety issues in rural communities across Australia.

NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto said the recent increase in Australians moving to regional communities in the past year meant more traffic for agricultural vehicle drivers to safely navigate during the up-coming harvest.

The NHVR has approved a minor wording change to Standard 4 of the National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme (NHVAS) allowing operators to use alternative documents to record the completion of an annual vehicle inspection.

The NHVR approved the change after operators sought to reduce the duplication of existing process within their systems by allowing an alternative to the NHVR Heavy Vehicle Inspection checklist.

The new Standard 4 wording reads:

Managing fatigue, particularly within the heavy vehicle industry, is crucial to the success and safety of everyone involved.  The NHVR receives and answers thousands of questions from calls with drivers each year and we’ve included a few of the more common questions that may be of interest.

A new notice for road train prime movers will ease pressure on the road network, improve fatigue management and increase the efficiency of Australia’s heavy vehicle fleet.

The National Road Train Prime Mover Mass and Dimension Exemption Notice 2021 comes into effect today, following widespread consultation between the NHVR, road managers and industry groups.

A joint report from the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR), Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport Australia (CILTA) and the National Truck Accident Research Centre (NTARC) has revealed Performance Based Standards (PBS) vehicles are involved in 60 per cent fewer major crashes than conventional vehicles.

This is a significant improvement over the results in a 2018 report which found 46 per cent fewer major crashes compared to the conventional fleet.^[1] PBS vehicles are also forecast to save 143 lives over 20 years.

The NHVR has urged heavy vehicle drivers to take extra care when using Adelaide’s South Eastern Freeway ahead of tomorrow’s Fatality Free Friday.

NHVR Chief Operations Officer Paul Salvati said the NHVR had investigated operators involved in two incidents on the downhill stretch of road over the past week.

“This stretch of road includes a long descent into Adelaide where heavy vehicle drivers need to be mindful of their own road safety and that of others particularly when carrying heavy loads,” Mr Salvati said.

An exciting new online safety hub has been unveiled by Australia’s leading transport and logistics specialist insurer, NTI, to support the growth and development of the industry.

The Better Business Hub helps protect Aussie fleet, transport operators and drivers by providing interactive, downloadable, applicable tools and resources to support them in their day-to-day.