Accreditation is your licence to operate
Heavy vehicle accreditation isn’t paperwork — it’s permission to keep running. A failed audit or a set of major non-conformances can suspend your accreditation, cut off mass or fatigue concessions and bring your fleet to a stop.
Regulators and clients expect the system, the records and the evidence to be there on the day — not reconstructed after the auditor arrives. Robust HSEQ makes sure they are, and steps in fast when accreditation is already at risk.
Call us when…
- You’re facing suspension or major non-conformances
- An audit has failed or one is looming
- You’re entering NHVAS or WAHVA for the first time
- You’re expanding interstate and need cover in each jurisdiction
- Chain of Responsibility gaps are exposing your business
- A previous consultant left you exposed
Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Services
From first accreditation to audit recovery — the modules, systems and evidence that keep your fleet on the road, in WA and across the HVNL.
NHVAS Maintenance Management
Maintenance management module systems — schedules, daily checks, defect reporting and roadworthiness records built to hold through audit.
NHVAS Mass Management
Mass management module systems and records that support your mass concessions and stand up to scrutiny.
Basic Fatigue Management (BFM)
Accredited BFM systems and record keeping that unlock more flexible work-and-rest hours than Standard Hours.
Advanced Fatigue Management (AFM)
Risk-based AFM systems and evidence for operators that need the greatest fatigue flexibility.
WAHVA Accreditation
Western Australian Heavy Vehicle Accreditation, administered by Main Roads WA — because WA sits outside the Heavy Vehicle National Law.
Chain of Responsibility (CoR)
CoR duties mapped across the supply chain under the HVNL, with the policies, procedures and records that demonstrate reasonable steps.
Audit Preparation & Close-Out
Audit readiness, mock audits and corrective-action close-out to resolve non-conformances before the deadline.
Accreditation Recovery
Rescue from suspension or major non-conformances — we rebuild the system and get you back to a passing audit.
Interstate & National Accreditation
The right accreditation in every jurisdiction you run — NHVAS across the HVNL states and WAHVA in Western Australia.
Working Out Your Hours: Standard, BFM & AFM
Under the Heavy Vehicle National Law, drivers of fatigue-regulated heavy vehicles must work and rest within one of three options. Choosing the right one — and being able to prove compliance from the work diary — is where operators win or lose an audit.
Standard Hours
The default work-and-rest limits — up to 12 hours of work in a 24-hour period for a solo driver, with set minimum rest. No accreditation required, but the least flexibility.
Basic Fatigue Management (BFM)
More flexible limits — up to 14 hours of work in a 24-hour period — in exchange for BFM accreditation, a fatigue management system and disciplined record keeping.
Advanced Fatigue Management (AFM)
The greatest flexibility, with work-and-rest limits approved by the NHVR against a risk-based fatigue management system and stronger evidence of control.
Counting Work & Rest, The Way An Auditor Will
Compliance isn’t the number a driver writes in the total box — it’s what the work-and-rest line actually shows.
We work out your hours the way the regulator does: segmenting the work diary at each major rest break, counting work and rest inside each relevant period, and checking the daily work limit, continuous and night rest, and reset breaks against Standard Hours, BFM or AFM. Then we build the rosters, procedures and checks that keep drivers legal by design — not by luck.
We help you
- Choose the right option — Standard, BFM or AFM
- Interpret the work-and-rest limits for your operation
- Read and audit work diaries and count-back periods
- Build compliant rosters and scheduling rules
- Evidence fatigue management for CoR and audit
EWD & telematics selection
- Written work diary vs approved Electronic Work Diary (EWD)
- Selecting an NHVR-approved EWD system for your fleet
- Telematics for fatigue, speed and Chain of Responsibility evidence
- Using the data in audits and incident investigations
Paper, EWD Or Telematics — Chosen To Fit Your Fleet
The NHVR now approves Electronic Work Diaries as an alternative to the written work diary — but the right choice depends on your operation.
We help operators weigh up the written work diary, an approved EWD and broader telematics, then select and roll out a system that actually improves compliance rather than just adding screens. Done well, telematics and EWDs turn fatigue and Chain of Responsibility compliance into evidence you can produce on demand. See our Fleet & Telematics support.
Standard Hours, BFM and AFM are Heavy Vehicle National Law fatigue options and apply in the HVNL jurisdictions. Western Australia and the Northern Territory sit outside the HVNL — WA operators manage fatigue under WA’s own arrangements — and we support fatigue compliance under both.
Two different regimes
- Light-vehicle & fleet driving — managed as a WHS work-related driving risk
- Regulated heavy vehicles — additionally governed by the HVNL via the NHVR
- In WA — heavy vehicles fall under WAHVA and Main Roads WA
- Different accreditation, mass, fatigue and maintenance obligations
- Chain of Responsibility duties that fleet driving simply doesn’t carry
Fleet vs Heavy Vehicle — we know the difference
Managing a pool of light vehicles is not the same as running a regulated heavy vehicle fleet, and treating them the same is where operators get exposed.
Light-vehicle and fleet driving is managed as a work-related driving risk under WHS law. Regulated heavy vehicles are additionally governed by the Heavy Vehicle National Law — through the NHVR, or in Western Australia through WAHVA and Main Roads WA. That means different obligations, accreditation, mass, fatigue and maintenance regimes, and Chain of Responsibility duties across the whole supply chain. We build systems that address the right regime for the right vehicles.
From 27 Major Non-Conformances To A Pass
A Victorian operator came to us after a previous consultant set up an audit that returned 27 major non-conformances — their accreditation on the line.
What we did
Robust HSEQ rebuilt the operator’s management system from the ground up, developed the corrective actions to close out every non-conformance, and prepared them for the follow-up audit — which they passed, protecting their accreditation and their ability to keep operating.
Across Australia, we’ve helped heavy vehicle operators avoid regulatory shutdown by getting their systems, records and corrective actions back to a defensible, audit-ready state. We don’t sell templates — we solve the problem in front of you.
Our Accreditation Recovery Process
A clear, structured path — whether you’re entering accreditation for the first time or fighting to keep it.
Diagnose & Triage
We review your accreditation, audit findings and records to pinpoint exactly where the exposure and non-conformances sit.
Rebuild The System
We build or uplift the management system, procedures and records so they match the module and jurisdiction you operate under.
Prepare For Audit
We develop corrective actions, assemble the evidence and run you through a readiness check before the auditor arrives.
Pass & Maintain
We get you through the audit and set up the ongoing records and reviews that keep accreditation held between cycles.
Heavy Vehicle Accreditation FAQs
What is the difference between NHVAS and WAHVA?
NHVAS is the National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme administered by the NHVR under the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL), covering Maintenance Management, Mass Management and Fatigue Management. Western Australia sits outside the HVNL, so WA heavy vehicle operators are accredited under WAHVA — the Western Australian Heavy Vehicle Accreditation scheme administered by Main Roads WA. Operators that run across the border often need both.
What happens if we fail an audit or receive major non-conformances?
Major non-conformances put your accreditation at risk. If they are not closed out to the auditor’s satisfaction within the required timeframe, your accreditation can be suspended or withdrawn — which can stop accredited work such as mass or fatigue concessions and put contracts at risk. We triage the findings, rebuild the management system and evidence, and prepare corrective actions to close the non-conformances before the deadline.
What is Chain of Responsibility and who does it apply to?
Chain of Responsibility (CoR) under the Heavy Vehicle National Law places a primary duty on everyone in the transport supply chain — not just the driver. Consignors, consignees, packers, loaders, schedulers, operators and directors can all be liable for breaches involving speed, fatigue, mass, dimension, loading and maintenance. We map those duties, identify gaps and build the policies, procedures and records that demonstrate reasonable steps.
What is the difference between BFM and AFM?
Basic Fatigue Management (BFM) allows more flexible work and rest hours than Standard Hours in exchange for accredited fatigue management systems and record keeping. Advanced Fatigue Management (AFM) offers greater flexibility again, but requires a more sophisticated, risk-based fatigue management system and stronger evidence. We help operators choose the right module and build the system to hold it through audit.
Can you help us choose an Electronic Work Diary (EWD) or telematics system?
Yes. The NHVR now approves Electronic Work Diaries as an alternative to the written work diary. We help operators weigh up the written work diary, an approved EWD and broader telematics, then select and roll out the option that best fits the fleet — so fatigue and Chain of Responsibility compliance become evidence you can produce on demand, in audits and in incident investigations.
Do you cover all states and interstate operators?
Yes. We support NHVAS accreditation across the HVNL jurisdictions and WAHVA in Western Australia, and we help operators that run interstate hold the right accreditation in each jurisdiction they operate in. We have helped operators across Australia rebuild systems and protect their accreditation.
Keep Your Fleet Compliant & Winning Work
Accreditation on the line?
Talk to the team heavy vehicle operators call when it has to be done right. Confidential, practical and fast.