The Australian Design Rules (ADRs) have been updated for 2025, setting the safety and environmental standards heavy vehicles must meet at the time of manufacture and throughout their life on the road.
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These rules keep our roads safe by preventing accidents through regulating vehicle lighting and signals, braking performance, driver visibility, onboard safety technologies and anti-theft protections.
ADRs also focus on features such as seatbelts, energy-absorbing steering columns, head restraints, and occupant protection systems as well as reducing vehicle emissions and noise pollution.
Three ADRs relating to heavy vehicles over 3.5-tonne GVM, coming into effect during 2025 are Electronic Stability Control (ESC) on all new heavy vehicles from February 1 2025, Advanced Emergency Braking (AEB) on all new heavy vehicles from February 1 2025 and a new emission standard applying to all new and existing heavy vehicle models from November 1 2025.
The good news for owner-operators and fleet managers is that ADRs mainly impact Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), meaning you should check the model year when shopping for a new truck, and then hit the road with the latest compliant safety technology and emissions standards already built in.
These regulatory updates set the bar for every new vehicle sold in Australia. OEMs must then meet these standards, ensuring that each truck offers the required features.
Currently registered vehicles will not be affected by the new ADRs and will not need to be retrofitted to remain on the road.
Having ADRs as the standard for new vehicles ensures that trucks are engineered to perform safely and reliably on Australian roads, in Australian conditions.
Different vehicle types fall under different ADR categories, so whether it’s cars, motorcycles, buses, heavy vehicles, or trailers, each ADR takes size, weight, purpose, and passenger capacity into consideration to ensure the right safety and environmental standards are applied.
ADRs are also an important factor in addressing Australia’s unique challenge of an ageing truck parc, with most trucks currently on the road being six years or older.
Soon, these older trucks will become increasingly expensive to repair and less efficient compared to the new generation of vehicles.
As these aging trucks are retired and recycled, they’ll make way for newer models that offer better safety for all road users and reduce environmental impact through improved emissions technology and fuel efficiency.
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