There’s no single, fixed expiry date stamped on a fatigue management course. Once a driver, scheduler or supervisor completes the relevant unit of competency through an NHVR-approved training organisation, that qualification doesn’t expire on a set calendar the way a driver’s licence does. What does run on a renewal cycle is the accreditation your business holds under the National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation Scheme (NHVAS), and that’s where most of the confusion comes from.
Here’s the difference between the two, and what triggers a need to retrain.
What a Fatigue Management Course Actually Covers
Fatigue units of competency are delivered through Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) approved by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR). Drivers complete a unit covering how to apply a fatigue risk management system, while schedulers, supervisors and managers complete a separate unit covering how to administer one across a fleet. Many operators book both alongside their Chain of Responsibility training, since the two sit under the same compliance umbrella for schedulers and managers.
Both are typically run as a single half-day session and result in a nationally recognised Statement of Attainment, not a licence or card that needs renewing on a fixed schedule.
Does a Fatigue Management Course Expire?
Not in the way a lot of operators assume. Once you hold a current unit of competency, it stays valid. The NHVR doesn’t set a rule saying drivers or schedulers must retrain every two, three or five years just to keep the qualification current.
Where it gets confused is with accreditation. If your business operates under Basic Fatigue Management (BFM) or Advanced Fatigue Management (AFM) accreditation, it’s that accreditation that’s issued for a set period and audited on a schedule, not the individual training itself.
Recertification Timing for Business Accreditation
AFM accreditation is issued for two years, though the NHVR’s own business rules allow this period to be shortened or lengthened so it lines up with the expiry of your other NHVAS modules. BFM accreditation follows an audit schedule instead: an entry audit, a compliance audit around six months in, then renewal audits roughly every two years after that.
These audits check whether your business is still meeting the fatigue management standards, including whether your drivers, schedulers and supervisors hold current units of competency, not whether each person needs to sit the course again.
Why Refresher Training Still Makes Sense
Even without a fixed expiry, there are good reasons to put people through fatigue management training again. The NHVR is updating the required units as part of the Heavy Vehicle National Law reforms taking effect from 1 August 2026, replacing the previous driver and scheduler units with new ones. Anyone who completed the earlier units before that date remains recognised, but the NHVR itself recommends completing the new units as refresher training given the change.
Beyond the regulatory update, fatigue rules, work diary requirements and risk classification methods do shift over time. A refresher every few years keeps your team working from current information rather than what applied when they first trained.
Aligning Your Business with Current NHVR Requirements
Rather than assuming a blanket renewal period applies, check three things: which unit of competency your drivers and schedulers currently hold, whether your business accreditation, if you have one, is due for audit, and whether the NHVR has updated the required units since your team last trained.
If you’re not sure where your team stands, our fatigue management course covers both the driver and scheduler units and can be run onsite for your depot, which is often the easiest way to get an accurate read on who needs what before your next audit.
Call CSTT on 0434 366 758 or get in touch to book a course date, whether that’s fresh training for new starters or a refresher to align with current NHVR requirements.