Truck fleet owners, managers and other industry stakeholders have been given extra breathing room to respond to the revised Performance-Based Standards (PBS) Directional Stability Under Braking (DSUB) standard, with the consultation period now closing on Friday, 29 August 2025.
The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) granted the extension after feedback from the Heavy Vehicle Industry Australia (HVIA) and strong engagement from members during a webinar on August 6. The extended deadline applies to all interested parties, not just HVIA members.
The DSUB standard, which governs braking performance under demanding conditions, has been updated to reflect advances in braking technology, as outlined in the NHVR’s consultation paper on DSUB. The revised requirements will see all hauling units fitted with at least ABS or EBS, while all trailers, including dollies, must have Trailer EBS with rollover control. The wiring network across combinations must support Trailer EBS CAN communication and include a means to indicate brake system status.
For fleets already operating PBS-approved vehicles, the changes will not require immediate retrofitting.
A proposed 18-month transition period, commencing from the go-live date of January 1, 2026, will provide operators with sufficient time to plan upgrades as required. However, after the effective date of 1 July 2027, any vehicles added to an existing PBS Vehicle Approval will need to meet the new DSUB requirements.
HVIA states that the extension will enable operators to more effectively assess both the technical details and operational implications of the revised standard.
The association has encouraged members to consider not only the technology requirements, but also the timing, administrative changes and potential retrofit costs before making a submission.
Compliance obligations will depend on whether a vehicle is entering the PBS scheme for the first time or being added to an existing approval.
First-time PBS vehicles will need to meet the new DSUB requirements from the go-live date, while operators adding vehicles to pre-2026 approvals during the transition can choose whether to comply immediately or wait until the effective date.
The NHVR is also consulting on grandfathering provisions that would allow operators to keep non-compliant vehicles on separate approvals, avoiding mandatory upgrades for those units when adding new ones to a fleet. For many operators, these provisions could play a key role in planning fleet composition and capital expenditure.
Feedback can be submitted via the NHVR’s link until August. The regulator is urging all PBS operators to review the consultation paper and consider how the revised DSUB standard could affect their current and future vehicle approvals.