New Increase to the Heavy Vehicle National Law Penalties

Penalties for breaching the Heavy Vehicle National Law will be increasing from July 1^st, 2023. Is your business ready for the change? 

Here are the key points you need to know to stay compliant.

What is the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL)?

The HVNL is administered by the Heavy Vehicle National Register and applies to all vehicles over 4.5 tonnes gross vehicle mass. Its purpose is to outline minimum levels of operational requirement for vehicles of this size to ensure their safe and efficient operation. 

There are a number of areas of regulation around which the law operates. These include:

-Fatigue management
-Mass and dimension of vehicles and loads
-Safe loading processes 
-Registration requirements
-Vehicle and performance-based standards

The law initially came into effect in 2014 for all states and territories except Western Australia and the Northern Territory. However, even vehicles based in Western Australia and the Northern Territory must comply with the HVNL when they are moving through the states and territories in which the law applies. 

Penalties for breaching the HVNL include loss of demerit points for drivers, an infringement penalty which is payable at 10% of the maximum allowable penalty, or for more serious offences, a court-imposed penalty, which could be much higher.

What’s changing?

From the 1^st of July, 2023, penalties for breaching the HVNL will increase, in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This means that court-imposed penalties will now range from $1890 for less serious offences up to a maximum of $25,200 for the most severe offences.

What do you need to do?

As well as reviewing the range of offences in the HVNL, the most important thing you need to do is ensure your company’s compliance system is up to date and responsive to changes in the law. 

Unfortunately, staying on top of compliance requirements can be a time-consuming process, and if you’re a business owner, the buck stops with you when it comes to safety of your workers and your vehicles. Whether you run a small fleet or manage a major logistics operation, an automated online compliance system is your best ally in ensuring your vehicles and drivers meet all required regulations. 

There are a range of Transport Management Systems (TMS) available to freight logistics businesses, but not all are created equal. A TMS that can limit your compliance risk should include pre-emptive checks that allow you to address any issues before they become a major problem. 

The GoDesta TMS was created with compliance in mind and includes the kind of compliance automation functionality that ensures you, your drivers and your customers will have the knowledge around regulations and requirements exactly when its needed. The system also includes automated compliance prompts, so that your workers know when checks need to be made and why. The makers of this system also continually monitor compliance requirements across all regulation bodies, so that GoDesta users will be automatically alerted to any changes in the industry, such as the upcoming increases to HVNL penalties. 

Visit GoDesta to find out more about how this system can take the pressure off your company’s compliance management.