What is Performance Based Standards?
Short answer
Performance Based Standards is an approval system in which an innovative heavy-vehicle design must obtain design approval, be built and certified for vehicle approval, and then obtain lawful road access through a notice or permit.
Plain English
PBS assesses how a vehicle performs against safety and infrastructure standards rather than relying only on conventional prescriptive dimensions. Approval of the design or vehicle does not, by itself, authorise travel on every road.
What this means operationally
Plan for all three stages: Design Approval, construction and certification followed by Vehicle Approval, and access under the relevant notice or permit. Check the approved configuration, network, road-manager conditions and operating requirements before every route is used.
Who it applies to
Designers, manufacturers, certifiers, operators, drivers, road managers and freight customers using or commissioning a PBS vehicle in an HVNL jurisdiction.
Example
A PBS combination with a valid Vehicle Approval can operate only on the level and network authorised by the applicable notice or permit and must remain in its approved configuration.
Exceptions and traps
PBS vehicles are generally restricted-access vehicles and do not gain automatic access to every road. Western Australia operates a separate performance-based access framework rather than the HVNL PBS scheme.
What changed
From 1 July 2026, New South Wales stopped applying the blanket 90 km/h PBS condition to new permits for PBS vehicles over 26 metres, aligning permit conditions with the existing notice position. This was a NSW permit change, not a national removal of all speed conditions.
Previous rule
Before 1 July 2026, new NSW permits for PBS vehicles over 26 metres could carry the blanket 90 km/h condition addressed by the update.
Legal foundation
Heavy Vehicle National Law Ch 7 and PBS approval provisions; applicable notices, permits and road-manager consents
Sources & primary documents
- www.nhvr.gov.au/road-access/performance-based-standards/application-process-and-forms
- www.nhvr.gov.au/road-access/performance-based-standards/hvnl-updates-for-the-pbs-scheme
- www.nhvr.gov.au/news/2026/07/06/attention-new-south-wales-speed-limit-update-for-pbs-vehicles-over-26m-operating-under-permit
WWTG verification: NHVR
Frequently asked questions
How many PBS approval stages are there?
Three: Design Approval, construction and certification leading to Vehicle Approval, and road access through a notice or permit.
Does Vehicle Approval give automatic road access?
No. A valid notice or permit and all road-manager and operating conditions are still required.
Is PBS based only on vehicle dimensions?
No. It assesses performance against safety and infrastructure standards.
Was the 90 km/h condition removed nationally?
No. The July 2026 change concerned new NSW permits for PBS vehicles over 26 metres.
Does the HVNL PBS scheme apply in Western Australia?
No. WA operates its own performance-based access arrangements.