Australian transport law · practical guidance
Australian transport law, explained plainly.
Clear, practical guides to heavy-vehicle law, access, compliance and reform — backed by primary sources and visible review dates.
Core explainers
Start with a direct answer, then work through the operational detail, law, sources and common questions.
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Do I need a heavy-vehicle access permit?
You generally need an access permit only when a restricted-access heavy vehicle is not already authorised for the exact vehicle, route and conditions by a current notice or another lawful access instrument.
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Does the Heavy Vehicle National Law apply in Western Australia?
No. The HVNL does not govern a journey while it is wholly within Western Australia, but WA has its own CoR, fatigue and heavy-vehicle laws, and a WA or NT business can…
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How do Electronic Work Diaries (EWDs) work under the HVNL?
An Electronic Work Diary is an NHVR-approved electronic system that a driver can choose to use instead of a written work diary to record required work and rest information.
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How do Standard Hours and 24-hour counting periods work?
Under Standard Hours, a solo driver must satisfy every applicable short and long counting period, including no more than 12 hours work and at least seven continuous hours stationary rest in any applicable 24-hour period.
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How do the HVNL Primary Duty and WHS laws interact?
The HVNL Primary Duty and work health and safety laws operate alongside each other: one focuses on public risk from heavy-vehicle transport activities and the other on health and safety at work.
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What are Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3 heavy vehicles?
The HVNL access classes describe why a heavy vehicle needs restricted access: Class 1 covers specified special-purpose, agricultural and large-indivisible-load vehicles, Class 2 covers prescribed configurations, and Class 3 captures other mass or dimension exceptions.
What’s changing
Practical updates and analysis where a reform, rule or decision changes what transport businesses need to know.
