Australia Heavy Vehicle National Law Safety Management System Standard 2026 S3-9: ACA mass, evidence: trip logs, weighbridge dockets or load plans credibly reflecting actual mass determinations and showing compliance for trips above general mass limits, evidence identifying the vehicles and the mass determination method per trip, current information on vehicles and personnel with mass responsibilities (integrable with existing records), evidence of action on mass defects and infringements, and documentation accessible and understandable to those who need it

What does S3-9 require?

The operator keeps evidence that vehicles are loaded within prescribed limits and that mass controls are applied effectively, so that compliance can be reconstructed and verified, especially for activities above general mass limits, with the focus on credible evidence of safety outcomes rather than parallel administrative systems. The Regulator may be satisfied where: records such as trip logs, weighbridge dockets or load plans credibly reflect actual mass determinations and demonstrate compliance for trips above general limits; evidence identifies the vehicles involved and the specific method used to determine mass for each trip, such as physical weighing or mass-certain loading; current information on vehicles and personnel with mass responsibilities is kept, which may sit in existing fleet or HR records rather than separate registers; where mass defects or infringements are identified, evidence shows appropriate action to address them and prevent recurrence; and documentation is kept in a physical or digital form accessible and understandable to the personnel who need it.