Applying for a dangerous goods vehicle licence

Paper or emailed applications are not accepted.

Lodge your new dangerous goods vehicle licence here.

When is this licence required?

Dangerous goods (DG) road tank vehicles based in Western Australia are required to be licensed if the tank has a capacity greater than 500 litres (L). The type of attachment used to secure the tank to the vehicle does not have any effect on licensing requirements. A tank may be welded, bolted or held on by twist locks.

However, vehicles that are used to transport portable tanks (isotainers) are not required to be licensed.

For example:

A DG vehicle licence IS required in WA for

Bulk tankers
Demountable bulk tanks (> 500L) on trailers

A DG vehicle licence is NOT required in WA for

Flat-bed trailers carting IBCs or packages (< 500L)
Rigid trucks carting packages
Bulk tipping trailers
Drop deck trailers transporting a portable tank (isotainer)

Interstate transport of dangerous goods

Although some vehicles do not require licensing in Western Australia (WA), they may need a WA dangerous goods vehicle licence if they are used to transport dangerous goods to other States or Territories of Australia that require such a vehicle to be licensed.

If a vehicle is registered and based in another State or Territory that requires it to have a DG vehicle licence, the licence must be obtained from that jurisdiction.

Existing dangerous goods vehicle licences

Some owners have more than one road tank vehicle used in the transport of dangerous goods.

When submitting an application for a dangerous goods vehicle licence you are required to notify the Chief Dangerous Goods Officer of other dangerous goods vehicle licence’s held.

Transport of ammonium nitrate

All operators transporting Security Sensitive Ammonium Nitrate (SSAN) are required to hold an SSAN transport licence, and must prepare a security plan as part of the SSAN transport licence application to demonstrate that all aspects of their operation can be performed in a secure manner.

The only SSAN vehicles that require an additional dangerous goods vehicle licence are road tank vehicles. The only road tank vehicles for SSAN are the tankers that transport Ammonium Nitrate Emulsions or Suspensions, classified as UN 3375

Refer to What is required for security sensitive ammonium nitrate licences? for more information on security plans and security clearances.

Non-tank vehicle

The Dangerous Goods Safety (Road and Rail Transport of Non-Explosives) Regulations 2007 have retained the option to licence non-tank vehicles to transport dangerous goods, if the vehicle is:

used to transport dangerous goods in other States or Territories of Australia and requires licensing while operating there; and
unable to be licensed in another State because the vehicle is based in Western Australia; and
able to be issued a DG vehicle licence in another State, if the vehicle was based there.

What are the different types of tanks?

The ADG Code and Regulation 4 define demountable tanks and portable tanks as follows:

Demountable tank:

Means a tank other than a portable tank designed to be carried on a vehicle, does not form part of and is not permanently attached to the vehicle, and is designed to be removed.

Portable tank (isotainer):

Means a multimodal tank that:
Is designed primarily to be loaded onto a vehicle or ship; and
Has a capacity of more than 450L; and
Is equipped with skids, mountings, stabilizers and accessories to facilitate mechanical handling; and
Is capable of being loaded and unloaded without removing its service equipment or structural equipment; and
Is capable of being lifted when full.

Demountable tank

Portable tank (isotainer)

Who can apply?

To be eligible to apply for a dangerous goods vehicle licence, you must:

be the registered owner of a vehicle, and
have a current motor vehicle licence issued under the Road Traffic Act 1974 or Federal Interstate Road Transport Act 1985 in the name of the applicant, and
ensure the vehicle and its operation complies with the Australian Dangerous Goods Code, current edition, and
hold a minimum public liability insurance policy of five million dollars (AUD5,000,000) to transport a placard load of dangerous goods.

The Australian Dangerous Goods Code (ADG Code) - current edition is available from the National Transport Commission.

Integrity information

If you are the subject of a court order prohibiting transport of dangerous goods by road, you may not be granted a dangerous goods vehicle licence. Contact the Department before completing your submission.

Required supporting information

Applications for a dangerous goods vehicle licence must be accompanied by specific information. Failure to provide the required documentation will delay processing of the application. Before completing your application ensure you have high quality images of the following original documents relevant to your application type.

Tank type	Situation	Approval of tank design letter See (1) below	AS 2809 professional engineer’s report	Previous dangerous goods licence	Motor vehicle licence See (2) below
New	Vehicle less than 12 months old and never licensed to transport dangerous goods	Yes	No	No	Yes
Used	Vehicle greater than 12 months old and never licensed to transport dangerous goods	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Used	Vehicle previously licensed to transport dangerous goods in WA and dangerous goods vehicle licence expired within the last 12 months	Yes	No	No	Yes
Used	Vehicle previously licensed to transport dangerous goods interstate and dangerous goods vehicle licence expired within the last 12 months	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Used	Vehicle previously licensed to transport dangerous goods in WA but not licensed to transport dangerous goods for more than 12 months	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Used	Vehicle previously licensed to transport dangerous goods interstate but not licensed to transport dangerous goods for more than 12 months	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Used	Vehicle has been modified (re-horsed), or damaged and repaired since the original design approval	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Non	Non-tank vehicle	No	No	No	Yes

An Application for approval of tank design is required if the approval of tank design letter is not provided. A separate submission must be lodged via the departmental submissions portal as an additional fee is payable. Please refer to the application form for lodgement details.
Motor vehicle licences are issued under Part III of the Road Traffic Act 1974 (WA), or under the Federal Interstate Road Transport Act 1985 and must be current at time of lodgement.

The following information may assist in obtaining the required supporting information.

Tank design approval

The approval of tank design document(s) issued by the relevant competent authority, stating the design has been assessed against the requirements of the Australian Dangerous Goods Code, current edition must be submitted with your application. Not applicable for a non-tank vehicle.

The document(s) must include the following information:

tank type
material of construction
tank capacity
number of compartments
serial number
approval number
date of approval

An Application for approval of tank design is required if the approval of tank design letter is not provided.

A separate submission must be lodged via the departmental submissions portal as an additional fee is payable. Please refer to application form for lodgement details.

Change to licence details

The Department must be informed within 14 days of a change to the licence details.

All changes must be lodged via the online departmental submission portal. Paper or emailed applications are not accepted.

Go to the departmental submissions portal. (Refer to Lodging the application section for access to the submissions portal)
Select option Change to licence details from the drop down selector.
An application form may require completion.
- If required, download and complete the form and save to your computer. Attach an image of the form to your submission.
Refer to table below for supporting or additional information to be included in the submission.
A fee is not required.

Change type	Is an application form required?	What details to I include in the Comments field in submission?	Is supporting information required?
Change of name	Yes	None	Yes - proof of change of name: Refer to Change to licence details notification form for document type.
Change of vehicle garaging location	No	Enter new street address, property name and/or business name and contact details.	No
Change of business address and/or mailing address	No	Enter new address details. Identify whether the change is for a residential, business and/or mailing address.	No
Change of plates	No	None	Yes - change of plate receipt issued by Department of Transport or motor vehicle licence with new plate number shown.
Upgrade to classes/divisions	No	Enter the classes/division to be upgraded to.	No

Go to Lodging the application for more details.

See Change to licence details notification form – must be completed and lodged online via the departmental submissions portal.

Transfer of ownership

The department must be informed by the new owner within 21 days of a transfer of ownership.

The dangerous goods vehicle licence must be current to transfer the licence, or a new application is required.

The transfer must be lodged via the department's online system. Go to Submit Application selection button above. A fee is not required.

Complete the application form and submit with the following supporting documents:

current dangerous goods vehicle licence obtained from the previous owner, and
motor vehicle licence (in the name of the new owner).

Disposal of vehicle

The department must be informed within 21 days by the licence holder of the disposal of a dangerous goods vehicle licence.

The notice of disposal must be lodged via the online departmental submissions portal. Go to the portal and select option Disposal of a dangerous goods vehicle in the drop down selector. Attach the following supporting documentation to your submission. A fee is not required. Go to Lodging the application for more details.

Notice of disposal.

Surrender of licence

To surrender the licence must be lodged via the online departmental submissions portal. Go to portal and select option Surrender of a dangerous goods vehicle licence in the drop down selector. Download and complete the surrender notification and save to your computer. Attach an image of the notification to your submission. A fee is not required. Go to Lodging the application for more details.

See Surrender of licence notification