The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator has warned operators that dangerous speed-limiter tampering is still happening, after officers found a truck with its limiter set to 127km/h. The regulator said the driver was issued a compliance notice and two critical fatigue offences, and that brake defects were found on all of the truck’s trailers.
The warning was published on 12 November 2026. NHVR Chief Operations Officer Paul Salvati said speed limiters are a critical safety control and that deliberately interfering with them puts every road user at risk. He said it was disappointing that, despite extensive education, warnings and enforcement, heavy vehicles were still being detected with altered speed limiters.
Operation Quicksilver
Earlier this year the NHVR ran Operation Quicksilver, targeting speeding and speed-limiter interference. Official figures show 2,022 heavy vehicles were intercepted nationally between 11 May and 7 June 2026, with police in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria taking part. The operation recorded a 9.6% non-compliance rate for speeding and speed-limiter issues, and one vehicle had been modified to allow speeds of up to 250km/h.
Salvati said that despite that targeted work, the NHVR continues to find vehicles where these controls have been interfered with. Of the truck found with its limiter set to 127km/h, the regulator said the driver was issued a compliance notice and two critical fatigue offences for exceeding prescribed driving hours and failing to take sufficient rest. The Queensland-based operator received major and minor defect notices for brake and speed-limiter non-compliance.
The 100km/h limiter rule
Under Australian Design Rule 65, heavy goods vehicles with a gross vehicle mass of more than 12 tonnes, and heavy buses of more than 5 tonnes, generally those built from 1991, must be speed-limited so they cannot travel faster than 100km/h. Those vehicle standards are given effect through the Heavy Vehicle National Law in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory. The law has not commenced in Western Australia or the Northern Territory, though it can still apply when vehicles from those jurisdictions enter a participating state or territory.
Penalties and what operators should do
It is an offence under the Heavy Vehicle National Law to tamper with a speed limiter fitted to a heavy vehicle. The NHVR’s penalties schedule for 1 August 2026 to 30 June 2027 sets a maximum penalty of $14,120 for that offence. Using, or permitting someone to use, a heavy vehicle that does not comply with the applicable vehicle standards carries a maximum penalty of $8,480. Officers can also issue compliance and defect notices, ground a fleet, or prosecute drivers and operators.
The NHVR has also pointed to operators taking their own steps to stop interference, including fitting tamper-evident security tags to speed limiters. Salvati said operators have a responsibility to set the standard, and drivers have a responsibility to meet it. If a heavy vehicle driver is concerned about their safety or feels pressured to drive, the regulator encourages them to call its anonymous Heavy Vehicle Confidential Reporting Line on 1800 931 785.
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