Despite a highly visible and impeccably presented fleet, McNaughts Transport of Finley, NSW, is the quintessential quiet achiever.
Operating from a head office in a small town with a population of just 2000, the McNaughts team has obviously worked hard building relationships with customers and keeping them for the long term.
Importantly, the company has also grown on the back of a culture of looking after the people that do the work.
Obviously a proud family-owned business, the McNaughts are totally content to walk-the-walk rather than talk-the-talk.
Achieving cost-effect life from equipment and maintaining this equipment to the highest standards in the high gross weight applications is another strong focus.
The McNaughts fleet today comprises around 50 prime movers - Cummins-powered Kenworths are a staple of the operation - and they couple to range of trailing equipment to form A-doubles, AB-triples, B-triples and B-doubles, with gross weights spanning 68 to 114 tonnes.
With bases in Finley, Dubbo and Berrigan in NSW, McNaughts applies its haulage expertise to general freight, a wide range of bulk products including grain and fertiliser, and has high-capacity storage facilities for these products.
The company also has a long-established relationship with one of Australia's largest rice product producers.
Find out more about McNaught’s relationship with Cummins at https://www.cummins.com/news/2026/01/16/low-profile-high-standards
Executive Director Update
Welcome everyone to the weekly news,
HVNL Reform: ALRTA Ensuring Practical Implementation for Operators
ALRTA has continued engaging with the NHVR this week as part of the implementation of the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) reforms, with a clear focus on ensuring the new accreditation framework works in practice for transport operators.
These reforms will introduce a new Heavy Vehicle Accreditation (HVA) scheme, which will progressively replace the National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme (NHVAS).
The scheme includes a Safety Management System (SMS) standard and Alternative Compliance Accreditation (ACA) pathways. While the intent of the reforms is to modernise the framework and improve safety outcomes, how they are implemented will ultimately determine whether they support operators or create unnecessary administrative burden.
ALRTA has been working constructively to ensure the final framework is practical, proportionate and focused on real safety outcomes.
Our message has been simple: strong safety systems must be based on evidence of safe operating practices and continuous improvement, not additional paperwork.
Through ongoing engagement, ALRTA has been able to provide direct industry feedback on several aspects of the implementation process, including transition arrangements for existing NHVAS operators and the practical application of SMS requirements.
This work is being well received and continues to position ALRTA as a constructive industry voice helping shape the practical delivery of these reforms.
Clear transition options for NHVAS operators
A key focus of ALRTA’s work this week has been ensuring the transition to the new Heavy Vehicle Accreditation (HVA) framework is clearly explained for operators currently accredited under NHVAS.
For most operators, the key questions are straightforward:
• Do I have to change immediately?
• How long can I stay on NHVAS?
• What do I need to do next?
The important message is that operators will not be required to transition immediately when the new law commences (currently expected around mid-2026, subject to ministerial approval).
Businesses will be able to remain under NHVAS while preparing for the new accreditation framework, with several options available depending on when your current accreditation period expires.
In simple terms, operators will be able to:
Maintain NHVAS for up to two more years
If your NHVAS accreditation expires before 12 December 2026, you can apply to maintain your NHVAS accreditation.
To do this you will need to:
• Complete a compliance audit
• Submit a “Maintain Accreditation Application” to the NHVR before 12 June 2026
Once approved, this will start a new NHVAS accreditation period of up to two years, giving your business time to prepare for the new HVA scheme.
Please Note: You must complete an audit and lodge the application prior to 12 June 2026 for this option.
Extend your current NHVAS accreditation
If you need additional time but do not wish to complete an audit at this stage, you can apply for an extension of your current NHVAS accreditation for up to 12 months.
To request an extension, email accreditation@nhvr.gov.au
with the following information:
In the email subject line:
<<OPERATOR NAME + NHVAS NUMBER>> – Extend Accreditation request
In the email body:
I am writing to request an extension to our accreditation from
<<EXTENSION START DATE>> to <<EXTENSION END DATE>>.
This extension is required to support our transition from NHVAS to the new Heavy Vehicle Accreditation scheme.
Please apply this extension to all modules associated with our accreditation.
Please find our contact details below for any follow-up or clarification.
<<CONTACT DETAILS>>
This option may be a more practical solution for operators whose NHVAS accreditation expires after 12 December 2026.
Transition to the new HVA scheme when ready
Operators can move to the new Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme once it commences, or when their existing NHVAS accreditation expires.
If your NHVAS is due to expire before the commencement date for the new HVA scheme (scheduled for 1 July 2026), you will need to maintain your current accreditation with an audit and submit a “Maintain Accreditation Application”, or request an extension of your current NHVAS until the HVA start date (or a later date) for up to 12 months.
Ensure you apply for your extension prior to your accreditation expiry date, as extensions cannot be granted after expiry.
ALRTA’s position is clear: accreditation should be a pathway operators choose because it supports safe and productive operations, not something businesses avoid because the transition process is unclear.
Exit accreditation
If you no longer require accreditation (for example, due to the changes aligning the new GML weights to CML weights), you can submit an exit application through NHVR Go.
Please note that Mass Management accreditation will still be required to access HML, PBS and certain notices and schemes.
Further details on these options are available on the NHVR website:
www.nhvr.gov.au
Making SMS practical for operators
Another key area of work is ensuring the new SMS requirements are implemented in a practical and workable way.
Some operators have raised concerns that SMS requirements could lead to additional paperwork or complex documentation and daily risk assessment requirements.
ALRTA has been clear in our discussions that this must not be the outcome.
The purpose of a Safety Management System is not to create more work in day-to-day operations. It is to demonstrate that the processes already in place to manage risk are working effectively.
In simple terms, a strong SMS should demonstrate three things:
• Policies – key risks have been identified and appropriate controls are in place
• Procedures – those controls are being followed in practice
• Review – the business reviews incidents or issues and improves where required
If these elements can be demonstrated with evidence, then the system is working. This is what we mean by evidence-based outcomes.
For most businesses already accredited under NHVAS, much of what is required to meet the SMS and Alternative Compliance Accreditation framework will already exist within current systems. The changes should be incremental improvements, rather than a complete overhaul of how your business operates.
To help provide greater clarity for members, ALRTA has asked the regulator to provide practical examples of what “good” looks like under the new SMS framework.
Having clear examples will help operators understand how their existing systems can demonstrate compliance without unnecessary complexity or paperwork.
ALRTA has been advocating strongly that regulators and auditors must focus on whether safe practices are operating and improving over time, rather than encouraging “tick-and-flick” documentation exercises that add cost without improving safety.
A well-implemented SMS should support good management practices that many operators are already following. It should not require businesses to create complex administrative systems simply to satisfy audit expectations.
Continuing the work
HVNL reform is a significant change for the heavy vehicle industry, and there is still important work underway to ensure the new framework delivers practical benefits.
ALRTA will continue engaging with regulators to ensure:
• transition arrangements are clear and workable for operators
• accreditation remains accessible to small and regional businesses
• the Safety Management System framework focuses on genuine safety outcomes
Our goal is simple: to ensure the new scheme strengthens safety while remaining practical for the businesses that keep Australia’s agricultural supply chains moving.
We will continue keeping members informed as the reforms progress and as further guidance becomes available. This will include the upcoming changes to Fatigue Management. I will provide further updates on this element of Heavy Vehicle Accreditation in the coming weeks.
Until then, stay safe.