Registration charges for heavy vehicles

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.

Current registration charges for heavy vehicles

Registration charges applicable from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023 (inclusive of both the roads and regulatory components of the charges).

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) 629 988 1,003 1,003
Truck (type 2) 1,013 1,185 1,206 1,206
Short combination truck 1,043 1,222 2,132 2,132
Medium combination truck 10,029 10,029 10,833 10,833
Long combination truck 13,864 13,864 13,864 13,864

Prime movers

Vehicle type 2 axle 3 axle 4 axle

5 or more

axles

Short combination prime mover  1,162 4,730 5,055 5,055
Multi-combination prime mover  11,888 11,888 13,077 13,077

Division 2—Load carrying trailers ($ per axle)

Trailer type Single

Tandem

axle group

Tri-axle

group

Quad-axle group

and above

Pig trailer 700 673 663 659
Dog trailer 700 673 663 659
Semi trailer 700 847 600 451
B-double lead trailer and B-triple lead and middle trailers 700 847 600 451
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) 529 NA NA
    Bus (type 2) 659 2,794 2,794
    Articulated bus NA 656 656

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    Division 4—Special purpose vehicles ($)

    • Special purpose vehicle (type P) = No charge
    • Special purpose vehicle (type T) = 518
    • Special purpose vehicle (type O) = 597 - calculated using the formula: 586+(384 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.

    Application of charges to vehicle types

    Two axle rigid truck
    Image
    Two axle rigid truck

    Up to 12.0t
    $629

    Over 12.0t
    $1,013


    Two axle short combination truck with a two-axle dog trailer
    Image
    Two axle short combination truck with a two-axle dog trailer

    Up to 42.5t
    $1,043 + $1,346 = $2,389


    Three axle rigid truck
    Image
    Three axle rigid truck

    Up to 16.5t
    $988

    Over 16.5t
    $1,185


    Three axle short or medium combination truck with a three-axle dog trailer

    Up to 42.5t
    $1,222 + $1,989 = $3,211

    Over 42.5t
    $10,029 + $1,989 = $12,018


    Three axle medium combination truck with a four-axle dog trailer
    Image
    Three axle medium combination truck with a four-axle dog trailer

    Over 42.5t
    $10,029 + $2,636 = $12,665


    Four-axle twin steer rigid truck

    Up to 20.0t
    $1,003

    Over 20.0t
    $1,206


    Two-axle bus

    Up to 12.0t
    $529

    Over 12.0t
    $659


    Three-axle bus
    Image
    Three-axle bus

    $2,794


    Six-axle semi-trailer


    $4,730 + $1,800 = $6,530


    Nine-axle B-double
    Image
    Nine-axle B-double


    $11,888 + $3,600 = $15,488


    Double road train
    Image
    Double road train


    $11,888 + $3,656 = $15,544


    Triple road train


    $11,888 + $5,512 = $17,400