Round 11 of the Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative (HVSI) has been announced by the Federal government and the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator with $4.4 million in grants up for grabs.
In a press statement released this morning Assistant Minister for Regional Development Anthony Chisholm says the HVSI is helping to improve the outlook for the freight industry of the future.
“Through Round 11 of the Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative, we’re supporting industry to develop, trial and scale forward-looking solutions that respond to emerging risks, new vehicle technologies and changing road environments,” Chisholm says.
“It’s critical that safety investment is evidence-based, implementable and led by industry collaboration to ensure solutions are ready for the real world.
“These projects are about more than improving safety outcomes today; they’re about building the capability, tools and knowledge the sector needs to operate safely, sustainably and efficiently as freight continues to evolve.”
NHVR CEO Nicole Rosie says finding safer ways of moving road freight is key to the investment.
“Our freight and logistics sector needs to be positioned at the forefront of global safety and innovation, with a growing need to address challenges with forward-thinking, collaborative solutions,” Rosie says.
“Reducing Australia’s road death toll continues to be the number one priority for the NHVR, and we can collectively achieve this by building a safer, more connected and innovative industry.
“I encourage organisations to bring their best ideas forward to help create a positive and lasting change on Australian roads.”
The funding is targeted at projects that “harness new and emerging technologies to build capability and knowledge across the sector, delivering long-term benefits for Australia’s freight and logistics network”.
So far more than $45 million in funding has been allocated across 181 HVSI projects under the previous 10 rounds.
AI-based fatigue monitoring systems, heavy vehicle safety simulators and a range of industry-led projects aimed at improving internal safety programs are among the successful programs adopted from the grants so far.
Submissions for round 11 of the HVSI close at 5pm AEST Monday 16 March 2026. The application form and project guidelines can be viewed here.