I Run a Transport Business
NHVR investigations, Notices to Produce, Chain of Responsibility, executive due diligence, improvement notices and enforceable undertakings.
Legal Help for Transport Businesses →
A letter from the NHVR, a Notice to Produce, an infringement notice or a Court Attendance Notice can look routine. It rarely is. What you say and send at the start can shape everything that follows.
Eric will review what you’ve received, explain where you stand and tell you what to do next — before you respond.
NHVR investigations, Notices to Produce, Chain of Responsibility, executive due diligence, improvement notices and enforceable undertakings.
Legal Help for Transport Businesses →
Fatigue and work diary allegations, mass, dimension and loading offences, infringement notices and Court proceedings.
Legal Help for Truck Drivers →
Eric Navea is a former Senior Prosecutor with the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator and a former NSW ODPP prosecutor, with more than 10 years of Court experience. He knows how NHVR investigators build a case, what evidence they rely on and when a matter is likely to escalate.
That insight shapes the advice from day one: what a notice actually requires, when to negotiate, and when a matter should be defended in Court.
Eric runs every matter himself, from the first call to the final hearing.
The NHVR’s Investigations team focuses on serious breaches of the Heavy Vehicle National Law, with a particular focus on the safety duties owed by businesses in the Chain of Responsibility.
On the road, mass, dimension, loading and fatigue breaches are graded by risk as minor, substantial or severe. Fatigue breaches have a fourth, highest category: critical.
An investigation can end in several ways, including no further action, education, an improvement notice, a supervisory intervention order, an enforceable undertaking or prosecution.
With an infringement notice, you can usually pay the penalty or elect to have the matter decided by a Court. Infringement amounts are set at 10% of the maximum Court penalty, and the more serious offences go straight to Court.
| You’ve received | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Infringement notice | An alleged offence with a set penalty. You can pay it or elect to go to Court. | Get advice before paying — payment ends your chance to challenge it. |
| Notice to Produce or request for information | A formal requirement to provide documents or information by a deadline. | Get advice on exactly what the notice requires before you send anything. |
| Contact from an NHVR investigator | An investigation is underway into your business or your role in it. | Speak with a lawyer before any interview or site visit. |
| Improvement notice | You must fix an identified issue. Not complying without a reasonable excuse is an offence. | Get advice on what’s required and the deadline. |
| Court Attendance Notice | The NHVR is prosecuting and you must attend Court. | Get legal representation before the first Court date. |
Legal advice for transport businesses, directors and drivers facing NHVR investigations, requests for information, interviews and potential enforcement action.
Find Out MoreLegal advice for businesses and individuals who have received an NHVR Notice to Produce, including advice about deadlines, legal obligations and the documents required.
Find Out MoreAdvice and defence for businesses, operators, directors, executives and other parties facing allegations under Chain of Responsibility provisions.
Find Out MoreDefence for work diary and record-keeping allegations, including incorrect entries, missing information, false or misleading records and other National Driver Work Diary breaches.
Find Out MoreDefence for fatigue-related allegations, including breaches involving work and rest hours, Standard Hours, Basic Fatigue Management (BFM) and Advanced Fatigue Management (AFM).
Find Out MoreDefence for heavy vehicle mass breaches, including axle, axle group and gross mass limit allegations.
Find Out MoreDefence for heavy vehicle dimension breaches involving height, width, length, over-dimensional vehicles, permits and access conditions.
Find Out MoreDefence for loading and load restraint offences, including insecure or improperly restrained loads and other loading requirement breaches.
Find Out MoreDefence for traffic offences involving heavy vehicle drivers, including speeding, licence and negligent driving charges.
Find Out MoreMaximum penalty $200,950.
Result: $12,000 total fines.
Maximum penalty $75,100.
Result: $7,500 fine.
Maximum penalty $41,250.
Result: $1,000 fine plus costs.
Fine reduced from $2,250 to $350.
Case outcomes depend on the individual facts and circumstances of each matter. Past results do not guarantee or predict future outcomes.
See All Recent Cases →
We review the letter, notice or Court documents and explain what they mean.
You’ll understand what’s required, the deadlines and the risks before you reply.
We consider the position of the business, its executives and its drivers, and advise if separate representation is needed.
Where appropriate, Eric communicates with investigators and prosecutors on your behalf.
We test the evidence, identify the issues that matter and look at every available outcome, including alternatives to prosecution.
If proceedings start, Eric appears for you at every stage, from mentions to defended hearings.
Send through what you’ve received. Eric will review it, explain where you stand and advise what should happen next.
Call Eric 0401 937 269This page is general information only and does not replace legal advice about your specific matter. It was last reviewed in October 2026. The NHVR may update the law, penalties and policies from time to time, so check the NHVR’s official publications at nhvr.gov.au.
