This page highlights important information for commercial and heavy vehicle drivers. It includes information about the commercial driver medical standards and how they are applied to licensing and fitness for duty, including how they relate to the National Heavy Vehicle Law. It also outlines your responsibilities as a driver, links to commercial driver health resources, and what to do if you do not agree with a fitness to drive assessment outcome.
You will find this information and more in our fact sheet “Driving commercial vehicles and your health”.
This page will be updated as new information and resources become available.
Your health and driving
Driving a motor vehicle is a complex task requiring good vision, physical ability and cognitive capacity. Driving a heavy vehicle or driving for commercial activity, is particularly demanding, with more time spent on the road, the demands of the vehicle size and the responsibilities for passenger safety, just to name a few. The impact of heavy vehicle crashes on other road users and the environment can also be considerable. So good health and fitness to drive is not only essential for road safety, but a higher standard of health is required to safely operate a commercial or heavy vehicle, including public passenger vehicles. The licensing requirements as well as the broader heavy vehicle legislation and accreditation programs reflect these health requirements. All these programs aim to support you in staying healthy and safe to drive.
The commercial vehicle driver standards – when do they apply and when do I have to have a medical assessment?
Assessing Fitness to Drive contains two sets of standards – one for private vehicle drivers and one for commercial vehicle drivers. For all health conditions described in Assessing Fitness to Drive, the medical criteria that need to be met for fitness to drive are higher for commercial vehicle drivers.
The standards are applied in a number of circumstances:
Heavy vehicle licensing
For licensing purposes, the commercial vehicle driver standards apply to drivers of medium rigid vehicles and larger. The specific requirements for medical assessments for commercial licensing (whether assessments are required and how often) differ between the states and territories and are outlined in Appendix 1 of Assessing Fitness to Drive.
| National licence class | Applicable standard | |
|---|---|---|
Motorcycle (R) | Motorbike or motortrike | Private standards apply unless the driver holds or is applying for an authority to carry public passengers for hire or reward, in which case the commercial standards apply. |
Car (C) | Vehicle not more than 4.5 tonnes GVM (gross vehicular mass) and seating up to 12 adults including the driver | Private standards apply unless the driver:
In these cases the commercial standards apply. |
Light rigid (LR) | Any rigid vehicle greater than 4.5 tonnes GVM or a vehicle seating more than 12 adults that is not more than 8 tonnes, plus a trailer of no more than 9 tonnes GVM | |
Medium rigid (MR) | Any two-axle rigid vehicle greater than 8 tonnes GVM, plus a trailer of no more than 9 tonnes GVM | Commercial standards apply at all times. |
Heavy rigid (HR) | Any rigid vehicle with 3 or more axles greater than 8 tonnes GVM, plus a trailer of no more than 9 tonnes GVM | |
Heavy combination (HC) | Prime mover + single semitrailer greater than 9 tonnes GVM and any unladen converter dolly trailer | |
Multiple combination (MC) | Heavy combination vehicle with more than one trailer | |
Public passenger and dangerous goods accreditation
The commercial vehicle driver standards also apply to drivers seeking accreditation to drive a public passenger vehicle or to carry dangerous goods. This includes drivers of public passenger cars such as taxis. The assessment requirements for the states and territories vary and are outlined in Appendix 1.
National Heavy Vehicle Legislation and industry accreditation
The standards also apply for assessments conducted under the National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Standard and under other industry accreditation programs such as TruckSafe. Such programs require operators to ensure their heavy vehicle drivers attend regular health assessments and that any health conditions identified are managed according to the Assessing Fitness to Drive standards. Your employer will advise you of such requirements.
This means that a driver may be subject to health assessment requirements under state/territory licensing and accreditation as well as through their employment.
What are your responsibilities as a driver?
Like all drivers, you have a legal responsibility not drive if you are not fit to do so. This is an obligation under road safety law, and for commercial drivers it is an obligation under Work Health and Safety law.
You also have an obligation to report to the Driver Licensing Authority any health condition that may affect your ability to drive safely. Your doctor is best placed to advise you if you have any conditions that might impact on your ability to drive. Talk to them if you have any concerns and tell them you are a commercial or heavy vehicle driver. In the vast majority of cases, early identification and management of health conditions will mean that you will retain your driver licence, potentially on a Conditional Licence, which may require more frequent health reviews.
Are there national industry requirements for heavy vehicle drivers and fitness to drive?
While the licensing system does help support fitness to drive for heavy vehicle drivers, the need for a national industry-wide approach to heavy vehicle safety, including fitness to drive, has resulted in the establishment of accreditation schemes such as the National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme.
The Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) commenced on 10 February 2014 and provides as framework for the scheme, which is administered nationally by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR).
The voluntary scheme operates in all states accept Western Australia. In that state there is a mandatory state based scheme for restricted access vehicles – the Western Australia Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme (WAHVS).
The NHVAS also operates alongside industry schemes including TruckSafeOpens – developed and managed by the Australian Trucking Association.
The NHVAS, WAHVAS and TruckSafe, all include requirements or standards associated with driver health, including fitness to drive assessments, generally in association with fatigue management. Standards require that drivers undergo regular health assessments to make sure they meet the medical criteria for commercial vehicle drivers contained in Assessing Fitness to Drive, with a particular focus on aspects such as sleep disorders, substance abuse etc.
For more information see:
- National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme – Fatigue Management Accreditation Guide
- Western Australian Heavy Vehicle Accreditation – Fatigue Management Module Standards
- TruckSafe Accreditation Standards
What to do if you do not agree with a fitness to drive outcome?
Each state and territory has a different approach to appealing fitness to drive licensing decisions.
Austroads does not play any role in the assessment of drivers. We can only direct calls back to the licensing authority.
The Standards are informed by research and panels of medical experts. If you believe the standards are incorrect, please write to or email the National Transport Commission.