The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) now has full control over the National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme (NHVAS) and is getting stuck in to reforms.

The regulator is looking to change the auditing provisions of the NHVAS Standards and Business Rules, to allow more effective oversight of safety requirements.

It intends to do this by standardising the way audits are conducted and strengthening their quality.

“The NHVR is now the only body responsible for the management, monitoring and registration of NHVAS auditors,” the national trucking regulator said in a statement.

It says the reforms are also set to “consolidate some of the forms and processes for NHVAS accreditation”.

The change means a third party can no longer act on behalf of an operator on accreditation applications, though they can be involved with completing, collating and submitting accreditation forms.

All communication from the NHVR will be directly to the operator.

NHVAS auditors have been given until July 1 2016 to register under the new NHVR requirements, though until then they are allowed to continue auditing under their existing certification.

The regulator has warned that under certain circumstances, it may be forced to reject the auditor nominated on the Compliance Audit Notification (CAN) form, and request the operator select a different auditor.

The changes to the audit timeframes mean;

  • An audit will remain valid for nine months
  • The earliest an application to maintain accreditation can be lodged is six months prior to expiry of the accreditation
  • The latest an application to maintain accreditation can be lodged is one month prior to the expiry of the accreditation
  • The earliest an initial compliance audit can be lodged is six months after the effective date of the accreditation
  • The latest an initial compliance audit can be lodged is seven months after the effective date of the accreditation