Standard Hours, BFM, and AFM: Work/Rest Options and Fatigue-Regulated Vehicles

What Makes a Heavy Vehicle Fatigue-Regulated?

Under the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL), fatigue management rules apply only to fatigue-regulated heavy vehicles. A vehicle is fatigue-regulated if it meets any of these criteria:

• A motor vehicle with a Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) over 12 tonnes
• A combination where the total GVM or Gross Combination Mass (GCM) exceeds 12 tonnes
• A bus with a GVM over 4.5 tonnes fitted to carry more than 12 adults (including the driver)
• A truck, or combination including a truck, with a GVM over 12 tonnes with a machine or implement attached

If you drive a Heavy Rigid vehicle with a GVM above 12 tonnes — which most HR-licensed vehicles are — you are operating under fatigue laws every time you get behind the wheel. These rules are enforced by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) and authorised officers including Victoria Police and Transport Safety Services.

Standard Hours: The Default Work/Rest Framework

Standard Hours is the default set of work and rest limits. No accreditation is needed — every fatigue-regulated driver automatically operates under Standard Hours unless their operator holds BFM or AFM accreditation.

For a solo driver (no second driver), the Standard Hours limits are:

The sub-period limits (5.25h/5.5h, 7.5h/8h, 10h/11h) are rolling maximums counted forward from the end of the last rest break. Within any 5.5-hour window, you may work up to 5.25 hours and must take at least 15 minutes continuous rest. Within any 8-hour window, up to 7.5 hours of work is allowed with at least 30 minutes rest in 15-minute blocks. Within any 11-hour window, up to 10 hours work is allowed with at least 60 minutes rest.

A night rest break is 7 continuous hours of stationary rest taken between 10 pm on one day and 8 am on the next day (using the time zone of the driver's base), or a 24 continuous hours stationary rest break.

Stationary rest means the driver is out of the heavy vehicle, or resting in an approved sleeper berth of a stationary vehicle. This is different from continuous rest, which can include time resting as a passenger in a moving vehicle.

Basic Fatigue Management (BFM)

Basic Fatigue Management (BFM) is a module of the National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme (NHVAS). Operators who hold BFM accreditation can schedule drivers for up to 14 hours of work in a 24-hour period — two extra hours compared to Standard Hours — provided fatigue risks are managed through an accredited system.

BFM solo driver limits include:

• 24 hours: max 14 hours work, minimum 7 continuous hours stationary rest
• 7 days: max 36 hours long/night work time
• 14 days: max 144 hours work, with 24 continuous hours stationary rest after no more than 84 hours work, plus 2 night rest breaks on consecutive days

BFM also has its own sub-period limits: 6 hours work in 6.25 hours, 8.5 hours in 9 hours, and 11 hours in 12 hours, each with the same 15-minute block rest minimums.

Advanced Fatigue Management (AFM)

Advanced Fatigue Management (AFM) is the only mechanism under the HVNL that provides tailored, non-prescriptive work and rest hours. Instead of fixed limits, operators propose their own schedules based on operational needs and must demonstrate they can manage fatigue risks.

AFM applications are assessed against seven fatigue principles:

• Work-related rest breaks: reduce continuous work time; more frequent breaks are better
• Recovery breaks: ensure adequate sleep opportunity; maximise night sleep; minimise shifts ending 00:00 to 06:00; minimise extended shifts
• Reset breaks: prevent fatigue accumulation with at least 30 hours reset (including two night periods 00:00 to 06:00) between work sequences

Operators must submit a safety case and operations manual. Applications may be referred to an independent specialist if proposed hours exceed risk thresholds.

Switching Between Options

Drivers and operators can switch between Standard Hours, BFM, and AFM, but transitions require a reset rest period:

• BFM to Standard Hours: comply with Standard Hours requirements, OR have had 48 continuous hours of rest
• AFM to Standard Hours or BFM: comply with the new option's requirements AND have had 48 continuous hours of rest

The 48-hour reset ensures accumulated fatigue under the more flexible option does not carry over into the stricter framework.

Comparison: Standard Hours vs BFM vs AFM