Registration charges for heavy vehicles

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Heavy vehicle charges aim to recover heavy vehicle related expenditure on roads from heavy vehicle operators. This allows governments to invest in building and maintaining productive and safer roads.

Charges are a combination of an annual registration and fuel-based road user charges.

The revenue raised by registration charges is collected by state and territory governments. The revenue from the fuel-based road user charge is collected by the Commonwealth Government.

The regulatory component of the registration charge is passed onto the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator by participating states and territories.

Registration charges for heavy vehicles

Registration charges applicable from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024 (inclusive of both the roads and regulatory components of the charges) are detailed in the below tables.

If you believe you have been charged the wrong amount, please contact the road agency in your state or territory.

The total registration charges shown below include the roads and regulatory components. Read more about the separate components.

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Division 1—Load carrying vehicles ($)

Trucks

Vehicle type

 2 axle 3 axle 4 axle

5 or more

axles
Truck (type 1) 653 1,043 1,058 1,058
Truck (type 2) 1,068 1,248 1,268 1,268
Short combination truck 1,098 1,284 2,230 2,230
Medium combination truck 10,727 10,727 11,587 11,587
Long combination truck 14,829 14,829 14,829 14,829

Prime movers

Vehicle type 2 axle 3 axle 4 axle

5 or more

axles
Short combination prime mover  1,202 4,973 5,316 5,316
Multi-combination prime mover 12,504 12,504 13,755 13,755

Division 2—Load carrying trailers ($ per axle)

Trailer type Single

Tandem

axle group

Tri-axle

group

Quad-axle group

and above
Pig trailer 736 709 699 695
Dog trailer 736 709 699 695
Semi trailer 736 894 633 476
B-double lead trailer and B-triple lead and middle trailers 736 894 633 476
Converter dolly or low loader dolly 55 28 18 14
 

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    Division 3—Buses ($)

    Bus type 2 axles 3 axles 4 or more axles
    Bus (type 1) 547 NA NA
    Bus (type 2) 682 2,970 2,970
    Articulated bus NA 679 679

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    Division 4—Special purpose vehicles ($)

    • Special purpose vehicle (type P) = No charge
    • Special purpose vehicle (type T) = 535
    • Special purpose vehicle (type O) = 618 + (417 x number of axles over 2)

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    Notes

    • Truck (type 1) means a rigid truck not exceeding a Mass Rating for Charging (MRC) of 12 tonnes (2 axles), 16.5 tonnes (3 axles) or 20 tonnes (4 or more axles)
    • Truck (type 2) means a rigid truck exceeding a MRC of 12 tonnes (2 axles), 16.5 tonnes (3 axles) or 20 tonnes (4 or more axles)
    • Short combination truck means a truck nominated to haul one trailer where, according to the nomination: (a) the combination has 6 axles or fewer; and (b) the maximum total mass that is legally allowable for the combination is 42.5 tonnes or less.
    • See the Heavy Vehicle Charges Model Law for complete definitions of vehicle types.
    • All axles on a dog trailer are treated as part of one group for registration charging purposes. For example, a dog trailer with a single axle at the front and a tandem axle at the rear is treated as a tri-axle group for charging purposes.

    The PAYGO model

    Australia uses a pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) model which determines annual registration and fuel-based road user charges. PAYGO was introduced in Australia in 1992 to:

    • help recover the marginal or attributable costs of road wear and tear for each heavy vehicle type
    • recover a share of common road costs which benefit all road users, such as street lighting, rest bays and signage
    • ensure heavy vehicles pay their share of road spending.

    Revenue recovered through heavy vehicle charges helps governments provide better and safer roads.

    Around 40 per cent of heavy vehicle costs are recovered as state and territory registration fees, with the balance paid through a fuel-based road user charge which is collected by the Commonwealth Government.

    To calculate heavy vehicle charges using the PAYGO model, we use the latest heavy vehicle and trailer population data as well as seven year averages for both road expenditure and vehicle usage data. This data averaging ensures that charges do not change significantly in response to short-term changes in expenditure or vehicle use.

    For more information, see the PAYGO model user manual.

    Heavy vehicle charges from 2023–24 to 2025-26

    In May 2023, Ministers agreed to an annual 6 per cent increase to heavy vehicle charges between 2023-24 and 2025-26.

    Commencing from 1 July 2023, the 6 per cent increase each year applies to both the road user charge and the roads component of registration fees.

    The registration charges applicable from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024 (inclusive of both the roads and regulatory components of the charges) are detailed in the above tables.

    The applicable registration charges between 2023-24 and 2025-26 (exclusive of the regulatory component of the charges - which covers the operating cost of the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) and is designed to vary in line with the NHVR's budget) is available here.