Electronic Work Diary (Australia)

Overview

An Electronic Work Diary (EWD) is an electronic device or system approved by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) to monitor and record the work and rest times of heavy vehicle drivers. It can be used as an alternative to making records in a written work diary.

Section 343 of the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) provides the NHVR with the authority to approve electronic recording systems for use as an alternative to the paper-based National Driver Work Diary. Provisions also provide additional powers to monitor EWD performance and to address operational issues.

The HVNL also contains specific amendments to the general fatigue management requirements that reduce red tape by:

• facilitating the integration of regulatory, fatigue management and commercial systems
• removing requirements for the handling and storage of paperwork.

The EWD provisions are designed to avoid overly prescriptive or restrictive wording, and facilitate the implementation of technology in a dynamic and progressive environment.

How EWDs Work

Drivers, transport operators, record keepers and authorised officers have the same obligations using EWDs as they do for the written work diary. However, EWDs automate many of these functions, making day-to-day operations faster and easier.

Drivers identify and authenticate themselves and declare their periods of work and rest through a user interface. This information is automatically sent to the record keeper.

Information collected by an EWD can be provided to:

• The driver — to check that the recorded information is correct
• The driver's record keeper — to fulfil record-keeping obligations
• An authorised officer — during an intercept, to confirm the driver is complying with work and rest limits

For more information, see the NHVR Electronic Work Diary page and the TeletracNavman EWD Site.

TN360 EWD (Sentinel)

TeletracNavman's EWD — branded Sentinel — is NHVR-approved (Certificate of Approval Number: TNSE-2024-002) and has been approved since 15 December 2022. The solution complies with the requirements specified in the EWD Standards and EWD Standards – Schedule A, comprising a number of software components that inter-operate to provide a complete and fully functional fatigue management system for heavy transport drivers, EWD record keepers, and other EWD technology providers.

Supported Rulesets

The TeletracNavman EWD solution provides all mandated rulesets:

Key Capabilities

• Real-time Fatigue Dashboard — Live visibility of all drivers' work and rest hours, enabling proactive fatigue management across the fleet.

• Driver Interface — In-vehicle display showing current fatigue status, available work hours, required rest breaks, and event history based on the applicable ruleset.

• Proactive Alerts — Configurable notifications warn drivers and managers before rest breaks are required, preventing violations before they occur.

• Automated Compliance — The system handles all ruleset calculations automatically, removing the complexity of manually interpreting fatigue legislation.

• Audit & Reporting — Real-time compliance data means every day is audit-ready. Reports are generated in a few clicks, eliminating the labour of combing through paper records. Non-compliance events and outcomes are recorded automatically.

• Scheduling — Real-time and historical insights into hours worked allow dispatchers to assign jobs based on available driver hours, ensuring journeys are completed within legal limits.

• Record Keeper Integration — EWD data is automatically synchronised with the record keeper, fulfilling statutory record-keeping obligations without manual handover of paperwork.

• Intercept Support — Provides authorised officers with immediate access to driver compliance data during roadside intercepts.