Heavy Vehicle Accreditation (HVA)

NHVAS transition to HVA scheme

The National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme (NHVAS) is changing – how is this change being managed?

From mid-2026, the NHVAS will be progressively replaced by the Heavy Vehicle Accreditation (HVA) scheme following the implementation of the Heavy Vehicle National Law Amendment Bill 2025.

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) will manage a phased transition approach to ensure existing NHVAS operators have time to prepare for the new HVA scheme. It is important to note that:

Existing NHVAS operators will not be required to transition to the new HVA scheme immediately when the amended law commences mid-year. They will be able to operate under the NHVAS scheme up until the expiry of their NHVAS accreditation.
The NHVR transition approach will allow industry to either maintain their NHVAS accreditation (dependent on expiry), exit or request extensions where required to support transition (accreditation period can be a maximum of three years).
The NHVR will communicate directly with operators to ensure that they are aware of their accreditation expiry dates and have adequate time to access available transition options.
NHVAS and HVA will operate side by side during the transition period (however, operators can only be accredited in one scheme at a time).
Safety Management System (SMS) tools and guidance material will be made available to support operators transitioning to the new scheme.
Templated work and rest hours will be available to support industry to adopt ‘Alternative Compliance Accreditation – Fatigue’ under the HVA scheme. The templates have been tried and tested based on real-world operating conditions and reduce the time required for operators to prepare bespoke work and rest hours that meet safety expectations.

Disclaimer: While the official commencement date of the amended legislation is still subject to Ministerial approval, the NHVR is working towards being implementation-ready by 1 July 2026.

Transition approach

The transition approach is designed to provide adequate time for operators to meet the new HVA scheme requirements.

A key focus of transition is ensuring that operators, where possible, can continue to utilise their NHVAS accreditation whilst preparing their business operations to meet the new scheme requirements.

Note: For operators with NHVAS modules expiring on different dates, the first expiry date will trigger the transition approach. The NHVR will be seeking that operators align modules to one expiry date in preparation for transition to the new HVA scheme.

Under the new HVA scheme, operators will need to hold General Safety Accreditation (GSA), which is an SMS, and Alternative Compliance Accreditation (ACA) to access regulatory concessions. It is more effective for operators to align their GSA and ACAs to reduce the number of compliance audits they need to undertake.

Key transition dates

New law scheduled to take effect: The official commencement date of the amended legislation is still subject to Ministerial approval; the NHVR is working towards being implementation-ready by 1 July 2026.

NHVAS application cut-off date: To allow NHVAS ‘maintain applications’ to be processed by the NHVR ahead of the expected law commencement date, all NHVAS maintain applications (including a compliance audit summary report) must be submitted to the NHVR by 12 June 2026.

Eligible to submit NHVAS application: Operators whose NHVAS accreditation expires prior to 12 December 2026 are eligible to submit an NHVAS ‘maintain application’. This is because the NHVR Business Rules and Standards allow audits to be completed from one month up to 6 months before accreditation expiry dates (i.e. after 12 June 2026).

Transition to new scheme: Operators whose NHVAS accreditation expires post 12 December 2026 will transition to the new HVA scheme, if they choose. The NHVR will work with these operators to support their transition.

Phased approach

The following transition approach will be adopted:

Stage one	Stage two	Stage three
A reminder will be sent directly to all current NHVAS operators whose accreditation period expires before the amended law commences. These operators should submit their NHVAS ‘maintain application’ at least one month prior to their accreditation expiry date or prior to 12 June 2026, if they wish to maintain their NHVAS accreditation. If they no longer require accreditation when the new law takes effect (i.e. they only require accreditation to access Concessional Mass Limit (CML) weights), they can submit an NHVAS ‘exit application’ and apply for an extension of their accreditation until the new law takes effect. These operators can elect to maintain their NHVAS accreditation, exit the scheme or prepare to transition to the new HVA scheme.	A notification will be sent directly to all current NHVAS operators whose accreditation expires between the amended law commencing and 12 December 2026, inviting them to submit their “NHVAS maintain application” prior to 12 June 2026. This timing is in line with the NHVAS Business Rules and Standards which allows operators to submit a maintain application from one month up to 6 months prior to their accreditation expiry. These operators can elect to maintain their NHVAS accreditation, exit the scheme or transition to the new HVA scheme.	Communications will be provided to all NHVAS operators whose accreditation expires post 12 December 2026. The communications will provide advice to operators to ensure they are aware of their expiry dates and to start preparing for transition using SMS tools and guidance material, as well as available templated fatigue work and rest hours where applicable. The process to apply for an extension will also be provided to operators and managed by the NHVR on a case-by-case basis (accreditation period can be extended to a maximum of three years). These operators can elect to exit the scheme or transition to the new HVA scheme.

Take action early!

All operators are encouraged to ensure they check their NHVAS expiry dates and take action in line with the outlined transition approach, so as to ensure that they have adequate time to prepare to transition. The NHVR is expecting that auditors will be in high demand and encourages operators to book audits early.

What are the main changes?

The HVA scheme introduces a new tiered accreditation framework comprising General Safety Accreditation (GSA) and Alternative Compliance Accreditation (ACA).

Under NHVAS, operators are audited against systems that manage risks within specific selected modules, namely Mass, Maintenance and Fatigue. In contrast, the HVA scheme requires operators to be audited against a whole-of-business SMS. This means that all safety-related transport activities will be audited, including elements of Maintenance, Mass and Fatigue Management (regardless of which alternative compliance accreditation an operator may select).

Successful completion of the SMS audit will provide the basis for GSA. The SMS audit will be based on the ministerially approved Safety Management Standard 2026, which has five broad categories, including:

Leadership and Commitment
Risk Management
People
Assurance, Monitoring and Improvement
Safety Systems.

GSA is a prerequisite for accessing Alternative Compliance Accreditation (ACA) for Mass and Fatigue; however, GSA alone does not provide regulatory concessions. To access ACA, operators must meet and be audited against additional specific alternative compliance requirements, beyond the baseline GSA included in the schedules.

Maintenance accreditation will remain, whereby operators with Maintenance accreditation will be exempt from annual vehicle exemptions in applicable states only. Access to Maintenance will be provided through obtaining GSA and meeting additional maintenance-related requirements (similar to ACA).

What does it mean for Mass, Maintenance and Fatigue

The below includes an overview of the changes between NHVAS and HVA. Of particular note:

For operators currently holding Mass Management accreditation. Changes to the Mass Dimension Loading Regulations will increase General Mass Limits (GML) to align with Concessional Mass Limits (CML). As a result, accreditation will no longer be required to access CML weights.
However, operators that require Mass Management accreditation to access additional alternative compliance through notices and other schemes (i.e. Higher Mass Limits and Performance Based Standards) will continue to require Alternative Compliance Accreditation - Mass. A list of all notices and schemes that require Alternative Compliance Accreditation - Mass will be provided to NHVAS operators.
For operators currently holding Maintenance Management accreditation. Alternative Maintenance accreditation will remain, whereby operators with Maintenance accreditation will be exempt from annual vehicle exemptions in applicable states only. Access to Maintenance will be provided through obtaining GSA and meeting additional maintenance related requirements (similar to an ACA).
For operators currently accredited under Basic Fatigue Management (BFM) or Advanced Fatigue Management (AFM). The Fatigue Management framework will transition to a single, performance-based fatigue accreditation model. This change allows operators the ability to select work and rest hours that suit their business operations within outer limits.
Templated tables of hours will be available for operators which will streamline the application process, this includes BFM equivalent and common AFM work and rest hours.
Templated work and rest hours have been based on schedules that have been used successfully by industry. Because they are tried and tested, they provide operators with safe and reliable pathways to achieving Alternative Compliance Accreditation - Fatigue, reducing the time and effort required for operators to develop bespoke schedules.

Communications and next steps

Direct communication with NHVAS operators will commence from late -February.

The NHVR will communicate directly with NHVAS transitioning operators through multiple communications channels.

Emails - direct email messages and follow-up reminders will be sent to NHVAS operators.
Information will be provided to industry associations to communicate the transition approach to their members.
The NHVR On the Road newsletter and NHVR website will provide detailed information to guide operators through the changes.
NHVR social media channels will be utilised with interactive content to help operators prepare for the change.
All questions can be directed to the NHVR Contact Centre at 13 NHVR (13 64 87).

New HVA Scheme

Further details on the requirements of the new HVA scheme are being developed and will be shared with industry.

The guide will provide details on:

The new Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Guidelines and requirements,
The National Audit Standard and details on the accreditation cycle and auditing requirements,
Practical guidance on how to apply for GSA and ACA.
Templated work and rest hours to support the adoption of Alternative Compliance Accreditation – Fatigue.
Safety Management System (SMS) tools and guidance material.

The table includes an overview of the changes between NHVAS and HVA. Of particular note:

Module	Current NHVAS – alternative compliance	New HVA Scheme – alternative compliance
General Safety Accreditation (GSA)	Not applicable.	GSA is a whole-of-business SMS audit. GSA is required to access Alternative Compliance Accreditation (ACA).
Mass<	Access to Concessional Mass Limits (CML) through accreditation. Accreditation is required for certain notices and schemes (e.g. Higher Mass Limits (HML) and Performance Based Standards (PBS)).	General Mass Limits (GML) will be increased to align to CML weights through changes to the Mass, Dimension, and Loading Regulations. Accreditation is no longer required to access CML weights. Alternative Compliance Accreditation – Mass is required only for certain notices and schemes, including HML and PBS.
Maintenance	Exemptions from annual vehicle inspections as part of registration (Applies in QLD and NSW only).	No change. Continues to provide exemptions from annual vehicle inspections (in applicable states and territories only).
Fatigue	Basic Fatigue Management (BFM) Advanced Fatigue Management (AFM)	Performance-based fatigue accreditation model (Alternative Compliance Accreditation - Fatigue). Operators can select work and rest hours that suit their operations within outer limits. Templated tables of hours available to streamline applications: BFM equivalent and common AFM work and rest hours. Templates to reduce the time required for operators to prepare fatigue schedules that meet safety expectations. Risk-assessed using the existing Risk Classification System (RCS) Matrix.* Alternative Compliance Accreditation - Fatigue follows a similar approach to AFM, allowing alternative hours where increased risk is appropriately identified and controlled *The RCS matrix determines the relative risk of work and rest hour schedules.

FAQs

For more information, see HVA FAQs.