Heavy vehicle inspection

All vehicles and trailers with a gross vehicle mass (GVM) or aggregate trailer mass (ATM) over 4.5 tonnes that are 3 years or older from the date of manufacture require an inspection upon change of ownership.

This includes vehicles in the maintenance module of the National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme.  It excludes:

• buses that already undergo an annual inspection
• special purpose vehicles such as tractors, and agricultural and road-making equipment.

Refer to the Frequently Asked Questions Fact Sheet for more information on the change of heavy vehicle ownership inspections.

A passed inspection is valid for 12 calendar months from the time of inspection.

The aim of the inspection is to confirm change of ownership of the heavy vehicle:

• complies with Heavy Vehicle National Law
• does not constitute a safety risk on our roads
• complies with regulated design, construction, and maintenance requirements.

Components that will be inspected include:

• vehicle identification
• brakes
• couplings
• steering and suspension
• wheels, tyres, and hubs
• structure and body condition
• seats and seatbelts
• lights and reflectors
• mirrors
• windscreens and windows
• engine, driveline, and exhaust.

The above is not a comprehensive list of what will be checked. For additional information regarding the standards, your vehicle will be assessed, refer to the National Heavy Vehicle Inspection Manual on the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) website.

Inspections should take no longer than one hour.

The responsibility and cost to have the vehicle inspected and passed ultimately rests with the new owner, as they will not be able to register or transfer registration into their name until the vehicle has passed inspection.

When buying a heavy vehicle or trailer (over 4.5 tonnes) that is 3 or more years old, you should consider that if you buy a vehicle that has not passed an inspection within the last 12 months, it may cost you more to have the vehicle inspected, repaired and passed.

Inspection locations

Change of heavy vehicle ownership inspections are carried out at the Department for Infrastructure and Transport’s (DIT) inspection facilities at Regency Park and various regional locations. Inspections can be organised by phoning Service SA on 13 10 84.

For additional details refer to Roadworthy inspections.

Change of ownership inspection fees

Read more about Vehicle inspection fees.

Change of vehicle configuration

If a vehicle is not being transferred to a new owner, it is not required to undergo any additional inspection other than what is currently conducted when changing the configuration from single vehicle use to B-double or road train through the DIT inspection process.

Heavy vehicles purchased interstate will require an identity inspection before being registered in South Australia for the first time. If the heavy vehicle is three years or older, it will also require a roadworthy inspection.

Interstate roadworthy inspections from a recognised interstate authority may be accepted if it was conducted in the last 2 months.

The identity inspection must be conducted first.

Identity inspection locations

Registration on a vehicle must be transferred within 14 days of the date of sale. However, Service SA will use discretion when applying late transfer fees to heavy vehicles where the registration and licensing database shows a recent inspection date.

A purchaser of a vehicle may contact Service SA asking for an extension of time to complete required repairs before presenting the vehicle for an inspection and transferring registration. Generally, a 28-day period will be granted. After 28 days, if an inspection has not occurred, no further transactions will be permitted on the vehicle.

Alternatively, the current registered owner may apply to cancel the vehicle's registration within seven days of the date of sale; allowing the new owner as much time as is needed to undertake repairs before presenting the vehicle for an inspection. However, an unregistered vehicle is only permitted to drive on a road if it is displaying a trade plate or has been issued with an unregistered vehicle permit. You can apply for an unregistered vehicle permit online through a mySAGOV account or by phoning Service SA on 13 10 84 for further information.

The result of an inspection will be entered into the registration and licensing database by DIT after the inspection is conducted.  You don’t need to present the inspection certificate at the Service SA centre when seeking registration for the vehicle.

Only DIT or South Australia Police can inspect and clear a defect notice recorded against a vehicle. The DIT inspection is a full inspection and is also recognised as a change of ownership inspection for the purpose of sale of a vehicle.

If a fault has been identified during an inspection, the vehicle will have a fail result recorded and cannot be transferred until the required repairs are completed and it passes a subsequent inspection. The vehicle’s faults can be repaired at the same location or at another repairer.

Once the repairs are completed the vehicle will undergo another inspection at an additional cost. The person conducting the repairs cannot inspect their own work.

Depending on the faults and the degree of a component’s deterioration the vehicle may be unsafe to drive on the road, and arrangements must be made to either have the vehicle repaired or towed away. It is an offence to drive an unroadworthy vehicle on a road.

Therefore, if a DIT inspection has been undertaken within the last 12 months, further inspection is not required. If an unsafe vehicle is left on site, the vehicle may be considered by a transport compliance officer or police officer resulting in it being issued with a defect notice and the driver being reported for a breach of the National Heavy Vehicle Law for driving a vehicle that does not comply with vehicle standards and poses a safety risk.

Restricted access vehicle (RAV) annual inspections

A RAV is a vehicle that:

• operates at greater than 42.5 tonnes, such as a road train or B-double, under a National Notice
• operates under a permit issued by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR), allowing access to certain parts of the road network.

From 1 August 2020, the requirement for RAVs to undergo an annual inspection, or to be in the Maintenance Module of the National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme, is removed. This also removes the need for an inspection label.

You still need to ensure any vehicle you operate is roadworthy. Inspections are still required when a heavy vehicle changes ownership.

This is consistent with the NHVR's National Notice harmonisation program and is expected to create efficiencies for RAVs travelling across different states and territories.

To continue improving road safety and heavy vehicle roadworthiness compliance, additional options will be investigated in consultation with the NHVR and the South Australian Police.

More information on heavy vehicles is available at NHVR – National notices.

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