tas-heavy-vehicle-checker

Tasmanian Heavy Vehicle National Law — Complete Reference

Purpose

This skill provides the complete verified text of the Heavy Vehicle National Law (Tasmania) Act 2013 (No. 30 of 2013), extracted directly from the official Tasmanian legislation (current as at 1 July 2025). It ensures Claude cites accurate section numbers, provisions, and requirements when producing heavy vehicle compliance analyses, transport operation documentation, vehicle safety guidance, and other heavy vehicle-related content for Tasmanian operations. This legislation is particularly relevant to Federal Hospitality sites with transport activities.

Critical Rules

1. Only cite provisions that appear in the reference file. Never fabricate or assume section numbers or content.
2. Citation format: Use "s [number]" for individual sections, e.g. "s 10 of the Heavy Vehicle National Law (Tasmania) Act 2013 (No. 30 of 2013)" or "ss 15–20" for a range.
3. Use conservative, factual language when describing legislative obligations. Avoid subjective terms — describe what the legislation requires in objective terms.
4. Always use Australian English spelling (e.g. behaviour, organisation, colour, defence, licence [noun]).
5. If a provision cannot be located in the reference file, state that the specific section should be verified against the current legislation.
6. National Law application: The Heavy Vehicle National Law (Tasmania) Act 2013 applies the Commonwealth model heavy vehicle national law to Tasmania. The substantive heavy vehicle law is the Heavy Vehicle National Law itself; this Act provides Tasmania-specific application, definitions, offences, and transitional provisions.
7. Jurisdiction note: This is Tasmanian legislation giving effect to the heavy vehicle national law in Tasmania. It applies throughout Tasmania and aligns with the national regulatory scheme for heavy vehicles.

Part Index

The Heavy Vehicle National Law (Tasmania) Act 2013 (No. 30 of 2013) is organised into the following parts and sections:

Part/Section	Content	Key Sections	When to Read
Part 1 — Preliminary	Preliminary provisions, object, definitions, application	ss 1–8	Object of Act, definitions (heavy vehicle, vehicle, driver, axle group), application scope
Part 2 — Application of Heavy Vehicle National Law	Application of national law in Tasmania, Commonwealth provisions adopted	ss 9–20	Application of national law (ss 9–15), incorporation of Commonwealth legislation, references to national law
Part 3 — Definitions and Interpretation	Tasmania-specific definitions and interpretation rules	ss 21–35	Tasmania-specific terms, application of definitions, interpretation guidance
Part 4 — Offences	Tasmanian offences under the national law scheme	ss 36–60	Offence categories (ss 36–45), penalties (ss 46–55), enforcement (ss 56–60)
Part 5 — Savings and Transitional Provisions	Application to existing vehicles, registration transitions, grandfather provisions	ss 61–85	Existing registration treatment, transitional timeframes, grandfathering of non-compliant vehicles
Part 6 — General	General provisions, regulation-making powers, administration	ss 86–95	Regulation-making (s 86), administration (s 87), review and reporting (ss 88–95)

Workflow

1. Identify the heavy vehicle or transport regulation issue from the user's query
2. Read the reference file heavy-vehicle-full.md using the Read tool — read only the relevant sections
3. Cite sections accurately from the extracted text
4. Consider the national law framework — this Act applies the Commonwealth model Heavy Vehicle National Law to Tasmania; some substantive provisions may be in the national law itself
5. Flag any gaps — if the query requires detail on specific heavy vehicle technical standards (weights, axle loading, safety standards), note that these are prescribed in the national law and supporting standards, which may require reference to the primary national law

Common Query Routing

Query Topic	Primary Sections	Key Content
Heavy vehicle definition	ss 1–8	What constitutes a heavy vehicle in Tasmania, vehicle classification
Application of national law in Tasmania	ss 9–20	Scope of application, incorporation of Commonwealth law, national law effect
Heavy vehicle registration	ss 21–35	Registration requirements, registration conditions, compliance
Driver fatigue and work hours	Part 4	Fatigue management offences, work hour limits, record-keeping
Vehicle weight and dimension compliance	Part 4	Weight limit offences, dimension compliance, overloading offences
Vehicle safety standards	Part 4	Safety equipment offences, maintenance requirements, mechanical fitness
Offence categories and penalties	ss 36–60	Offence classifications, penalty levels, enforcement provisions
Existing vehicle registration transitions	ss 61–75	Grandfather provisions, phase-in arrangements, compliance deadlines
Tasmanian-specific requirements	ss 76–85	State-specific modifications, registration, licensing
Regulation-making powers	s 86	Authority to make regulations, state-specific regulations

Key Definitions

The Heavy Vehicle National Law (Tasmania) Act 2013 (No. 30 of 2013) defines the following key terms (full definitions appear in the reference file):

• Heavy vehicle — a vehicle with a gross vehicle mass rating exceeding a specified threshold (typically 12 tonnes, subject to national law definitions)
• Driver — a person operating or in control of a heavy vehicle on a road
• Vehicle owner — the registered owner of a heavy vehicle
• Axle group — a group of axles on a heavy vehicle, subject to weight and dimension limits
• Road — a public road in Tasmania where heavy vehicles operate
• Fatigue — driver tiredness arising from work hours, rest periods, and shift patterns
• Compliant vehicle — a heavy vehicle meeting applicable weight, dimension, and safety standards

Heavy Vehicle National Law Framework

The Heavy Vehicle National Law (Tasmania) Act 2013 applies the Commonwealth model heavy vehicle national law to Tasmania. This national framework establishes:

• Vehicle classification and registration — Categories of heavy vehicles, registration requirements, compliance conditions
• Weight and dimension limits — Maximum allowable weights for vehicles and axle groups; dimension restrictions
• Driver work hours and fatigue management — Limits on driving hours, mandatory rest periods, fatigue management schemes
• Vehicle safety standards — Equipment requirements, mechanical fitness, maintenance obligations
• National offence scheme — Standardised offences across all jurisdictions participating in the national law scheme
• Enforcement — Inspection powers, compliance verification, penalty regime

Offence Categories and Penalties

The Heavy Vehicle National Law (Tasmania) Act 2013 (No. 30 of 2013) establishes offence categories (ss 36–60) including:

Offence Category	Description	Typical Examples	Penalty Level
Level 1 — Breach of administrative requirement	Technical non-compliance with minor safety or administrative rules	Incomplete documentation, incorrect signage	Lower penalty
Level 2 — Breach affecting safety	Non-compliance affecting vehicle or driver safety	Inadequate braking, defective lights	Moderate penalty
Level 3 — Serious breach affecting public safety	Serious safety breach affecting public safety, deliberate non-compliance	Fatigue violation, gross overloading	Significant penalty

Penalty levels vary depending on the specific offence and whether the operator is a first-time or repeat offender.

Transitional and Savings Provisions

The Heavy Vehicle National Law (Tasmania) Act 2013 (No. 30 of 2013) contains transitional provisions (ss 61–85) to manage the transition from the pre-national law regime to the unified national scheme:

• Existing registrations — Treatment of vehicles registered under the previous scheme
• Compliance phase-in — Timeframes for achieving compliance with new standards
• Grandfathering — Limited exemptions for vehicles that do not meet new standards, subject to phase-out dates
• Driver licensing transitions — Continuity of driver qualifications and fatigue management records

Operators should verify the current status of any transitional provisions, as phase-in dates may have passed as of 1 July 2025.

Application to Federal Hospitality Transport Activities

The Heavy Vehicle National Law (Tasmania) Act 2013 applies to Federal Hospitality sites that operate or manage:

• Transport vehicles — Delivery trucks, shuttle services, guest transport vehicles above the heavy vehicle threshold
• Logistics operations — If site operations involve heavy vehicle movements for supply, distribution, or guest services
• Vehicle maintenance — If the site maintains or repairs heavy vehicles

Operators must ensure:

• Vehicle registration compliance with the national law scheme
• Driver fatigue management programs (if applicable)
• Vehicle weight and dimension compliance
• Safety equipment and mechanical fitness standards
• Record-keeping and documentation requirements

Relationship with Other Legislation

The Heavy Vehicle National Law (Tasmania) Act 2013 operates in conjunction with:

• Work Health and Safety Act 2012 (Tas) — health and safety obligations for workers involved in heavy vehicle operations (covered by tas-whs-act-checker)
• Road Safety Act 2009 (Tas) — general road traffic laws (not covered by this skill)
• Motor Accidents Insurance Act 1994 (Tas) — insurance requirements for heavy vehicles (not covered by this skill)

Version Information

• Heavy Vehicle National Law (Tasmania) Act 2013 (No. 30 of 2013): Current as at 1 July 2025
• Source: Tasmanian Legislation website, authorised by the Chief Parliamentary Counsel (K Woodward)
• Extraction method: Full text extracted from official PDF using PyMuPDF, with page headers/footers removed
• Document length: 38 pages

Note: This skill covers the Heavy Vehicle National Law (Tasmania) Act 2013 only. The Act applies the Commonwealth model Heavy Vehicle National Law to Tasmania; for detailed technical standards (vehicle weight limits, axle loading formulas, safety equipment specifications, driver fatigue management rules), refer to the primary Heavy Vehicle National Law and supporting national standards. For health and safety obligations involving heavy vehicle operations and workers, refer to the tas-whs-act-checker skill covering the Work Health and Safety Act 2012 (Tas). Legislation is subject to amendment; for critical compliance decisions, verify current provisions at https://www.legislation.tas.gov.au/