Permits and Load Limits
The NHVR manages road access applications for heavy vehicle journeys. They work directly with road managers - state and territory road authorities and local government - to coordinate the application process and issue permits.
Information about the NHVR can be found here.
General Access Vehicles comply with mass and dimension requirements and do not require a notice or permit to operate on the road network. These vehicles have general access to the road network unless the road is sign-posted otherwise. Eligible General Access Vehicles and combinations can be found here.
Restricted Access Vehicles (RAV) include Class 1, 2 or 3 vehicles that operate under a notice or permit and vehicles operating under higher mass limits (HML) that can generally only access certain parts of the road network.
Requirements for Restricted Access vehicles can be found here.
The permit you are issued depends on the heavy vehicle class in which you are operating, and the jurisdiction in which you are travelling. The classes of heavy vehicles fact sheet illustrates some common examples from the 3 different classes of heavy vehicles.
If you are new to applying for a road access permit, the step-by-step process is outlined here.
If you already know the permit type you need, you can submit your application through the NHVR Portal.