Mark the date. On Thursday, December 3, the heavy vehicle industry will come together at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre for the 2026 HVIA National Awards Gala Dinner – a night to celebrate the people, projects and businesses driving our industry forward. Tickets are now officially on sale here.
Behind the scenes, judges are now working through this year’s nominations across all nine award categories. From product and safety innovation through to the apprentices, mentors and businesses shaping the industry’s future workforce, the calibre and diversity of entries this year has made choosing finalists a genuinely difficult task – a strong sign of just how much talent and effort exists across our membership.
HVIA members have raised myriad issues that are progressively being uncovered as they grapple with changes to the Heavy Vehicle National Law. Among those are questions around the new requirements to fit Side Underrun Protection Systems to trailers, which are triggered when the S-dimension of a trailer exceeds 9.5 metres.
HVIA has already raised the issue that the updated HVNL calls for SUPS fitted to trailers in accordance with ADR 106/00, but the ADR itself does not list any category of trailer in its applicability table. That matter remains unresolved, and HVIA will raise it again with the Department of Infrastructure at the next Vehicle Standards Consultative Forum meeting in Canberra in September.
HVIA has welcomed another four new members to the fold over the past few weeks, sustaining the strong growth in membership so far this year.They includeChange Fuel Technologies, JAC Trucks, Bustle Technology and New Age Concepts.
Headquartered in Brisbane, the national member-based industry association has expanded membership to a record 320+ heavy vehicle industry suppliers, including all of Australia’s truck OEMs and importers, almost all trailer makers and suppliers, and most parts and accessories manufacturers and distributors.
HVIA is consulting with members on the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s proposed changes to the Pavement Horizontal Loading Standard in the Performance Based Standards scheme.
It is understood the NHVR is pursuing this reform to avoid the need for hard GCM limits, and the need for some vehicles to fit steerable axles, both of which are called under the prescriptive rules of the current standard.
Australia’s transport industry will need to tackle safety, technology, energy, infrastructure, regulation and workforce challenges together if it is to successfully navigate the transition toward 2030.
That was one of the key messages to emerge from TechDRIVE Connect Brisbane held last week, which brought together transport operators, regulators, manufacturers, technology providers and industry leaders for a day of practical discussion about the changes already reshaping the sector.
HVIA members have expressed support for harmonising Australian Design Rules with the current United Nations Regulations on Cyber Security and Software Update, but have raised concerns about significant compliance costs.
The draft ADR 115 and ADR 116, provided by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communication, Sport and the Arts earlier this month are based on the current UN155 and UN156 regulations on Cyber Security and Software Update. respectively.
Vehicle bridge strikes cost the Australian economy an estimated $101 million in financial year 2024-25, according to a new report released this week by HERE Technologies and the Australian Logistics Council.
Based on research conducted by HoustonKemp, an economic consulting firm specialising in quantitative analysis and public policy, the study provides the first comprehensive assessment of the economic cost of bridge strikes in Australia, addressing a longstanding gap in national data and highlighting the growing impact of bridge strikes on transport networks, supply chains and communities.
