The VSB1 Revision 6 changes published in August 2026 add one documented item: a new section on load-carrying capacity for caravans. Section 13.2.5 says a caravan should have enough capacity for its intended purpose while remaining within the manufacturer’s Gross Trailer Mass (GTM) and Aggregate Trailer Mass (ATM). It then identifies three allowances to include: supplied equipment and full fluids or gas, equipment intended to be fitted later, and personal effects based on sleeping berths.
The Australian Government published the updated bulletin on 19 August 2026. Its revision history records the change as “Added section 13.2.5 Load carrying capacity.” It does not record a new braking threshold, a changed mass definition or a general owner retrofit requirement as part of this update.
This is guidance for manufacturers of trailers with an ATM of 4.5 tonnes or less. It is not a model audit, recall or declaration that an older caravan is non-compliant. VSB1 itself says the applicable Australian Design Rules (ADRs) take precedence if the bulletin becomes inconsistent with them.
VSB1 Revision 6 changes at a glance
| Question | What the August 2026 record says |
|---|---|
| When was the update published? | 19 August 2026 |
| What change is listed? | New section 13.2.5, “Load carrying capacity” |
| Where does it sit? | Under section 13.2, “Caravan-specific requirements” |
| What is the central guidance? | The caravan should have sufficient load-carrying capacity for its intended purpose and remain within specified GTM and ATM |
| What must the calculation allow for? | Supplied equipment and full fluids or gas; equipment intended to be fitted; personal effects |
| What is the personal-effects allowance? | 50 kg for each of the first two sleeping berths, then 10 kg for each additional berth |
| Does the update replace ATM, GTM or tare? | No replacement is recorded; the existing definitions and limits remain in the bulletin |
| Is VSB1 the controlling legislation? | No. VSB1 says it assists manufacturers and that the applicable ADRs take precedence |
The distinction between “added guidance” and “new law” matters. Section 13.2.5 repeatedly uses should, while other parts of the bulletin use must for specific requirements. The section should therefore be read in its published wording and alongside the current ADRs, not converted into a stronger legal claim that the document does not make.
What the VSB1 Revision 6 changes require manufacturers to count
Section 13.2.5 sets out three groups of load. A defensible capacity worksheet should show each group separately so a buyer, approval holder or auditor can see what has been allowed for and what is already included in tare.
1. Supplied equipment, fluids and gas
The section says load-carrying capacity should include all supplied equipment. Its examples are a toilet, refrigerator, shower and gas cylinder. It also says the mass of all fluids and gas should be counted at full capacity.
There is a specific qualification for wastewater. Where greywater or blackwater tanks are provided, their mass may be reduced by the mass of water stored in freshwater tanks. The bulletin does not provide a worked example or prescribe a particular tank arrangement. A manufacturer applying that qualification should document the capacities and the deduction rather than leave the buyer to infer it from tank labels.
This wording must be reconciled with the trailer’s recorded tare. VSB1 defines tare as the ready-for-service, unladen mass with standard equipment and fitted options at the time of entry on the Register of Approved Vehicles (RAV). Water and wastewater tanks are excluded from the fluid-reservoir part of that tare definition. If an appliance or option is already included in the recorded tare, subtracting it again from usable capacity would double-count it. The practical document check is to identify the exact configuration behind the tare figure before doing any subtraction.
Our separate guide explains why ATM minus tare is only the starting payload figure, not proof of the load a particular owner can add.
2. Equipment intended to be fitted later
The new section also covers equipment that is not supplied with the vehicle but is intended to be fitted because the caravan provides a feature for it. VSB1 gives two direct examples:
- an allowance for jerry-can holders must include the mass of the jerry cans and their fuel; and
- an allowance for a bike rack must include the mass of the bikes.
The logic is narrower than treating every possible accessory as compulsory. The bulletin connects the allowance to provided features. A capacity claim should therefore identify which holders, racks, mounts or other fitment provisions were included in the design calculation, the intended load for each and where that load is meant to sit.
Location matters because a trailer can be within ATM yet exceed GTM, an axle rating or another component limit. VSB1’s definitions separate total trailer mass at ATM from the mass carried through the trailer tyres at GTM. A payload total alone does not demonstrate that the load can be distributed within every rating. See the current ATM, GTM and tare definitions for the measurement distinction.
3. Personal effects for the sleeping berths
The third allowance covers cooking utensils, bedding, luggage and similar personal effects. VSB1 gives a simple berth-based calculation: 50 kg for each of the first two sleeping berths and 10 kg for every additional sleeping berth.
Applied directly, the published formula produces this table:
| Sleeping berths | Personal-effects allowance |
|---|---|
| 1 | 50 kg |
| 2 | 100 kg |
| 3 | 110 kg |
| 4 | 120 kg |
| 5 | 130 kg |
| 6 | 140 kg |
| 7 | 150 kg |
| 8 | 160 kg |
These are design allowances derived from the bulletin, not permission to load that amount on top of ATM. They sit inside the caravan’s available load-carrying capacity. Nor do they prove that a specific packed trailer is under its ratings: the actual load still includes whatever equipment, liquids, gas and personal effects are carried on that trip.
For certified gross axle load rating (GALR), the bulletin says the personal-effects allowance should be distributed uniformly in line with its GTM definition. It then makes a second separation explicit: the caravan’s luggage requirements are additional to the towing vehicle’s own luggage and load-distribution requirements. Capacity in the trailer does not create capacity in the tow vehicle. Our GVM, GCM and ATM worked relationship shows how a tow vehicle can reach a limit even when the trailer calculation appears to fit.
The calculation to ask a manufacturer to show
VSB1 does not publish a mandatory worksheet, but its new section can be converted into a transparent document check without inventing a model figure.
| Line in the worksheet | Evidence to request |
|---|---|
| ATM | Vehicle plate, RAV entry and approval documentation |
| Tare | Vehicle plate and the exact fitted configuration used when entered on the RAV |
| Stated load-carrying capacity | ATM minus tare, with units and revision date shown |
| Supplied equipment | List showing whether each item is already included in tare |
| Fluids and gas | Tank or cylinder capacity, assumed full mass and any permitted wastewater deduction |
| Intended later fitments | Rated holder or rack load and the item’s intended position |
| Personal effects | Sleeping-berth count and the VSB1 allowance derived from it |
| Distribution check | Evidence that GTM, axle, wheel, tyre, coupling and other relevant ratings remain satisfied |
The first arithmetic relationship remains ATM minus tare. The new section does not create a second payload figure. It describes what the design allowance should accommodate within the existing mass limits.
The individual trailer still matters. VSB1 says the mandatory values on the physical vehicle plate must match the RAV, including ATM, GTM and tare. Factory options, dealer additions or owner modifications can change the current mass after the figure was recorded. Check the trailer vehicle plate against the RAV and weigh the actual trip-ready configuration rather than treating a brochure subtraction as a measurement.
Which camper trailers does section 13.2.5 cover?
The bulletin’s overall scope is trailers with an ATM of 4.5 tonnes or less, but section 13.2.5 sits inside the caravan-specific part. VSB1 describes a caravan as an enclosed trailer intended for use as a mobile home or living quarters when parked, usually with sleeping accommodation and food-preparation facilities. The examples in that part include a camper trailer, but a marketing label alone does not decide a vehicle’s regulatory category.
That means the safest reading is classification-first. Confirm how the particular design is categorised in its approval documentation and RAV record before applying a caravan-specific paragraph to it. The update does not state that every box trailer with temporary sleeping equipment, every tent trailer or every product advertised with the word “camper” falls within section 13.2.5.
VSB1 also warns that not every low-ATM trailer has the same applicable ADRs. Specialist designs and alternative compliance pathways may require the ADR text and approval evidence rather than a generalised reading of the bulletin.
What the August update does not establish
The public documents leave several boundaries clear:
- No new model result. The update contains no manufacturer-by-manufacturer payload data and does not assess a single trailer.
- No recall. It does not identify an affected VIN range, defect, hazard or remedy.
- No owner loading certificate. A berth allowance is not a weighbridge result and does not prove a packed caravan is within ATM, GTM, axle or tyre limits.
- No extra mass above a rating. The allowances have to fit within the manufacturer’s specified GTM and ATM.
- No stated retrofit or replating instruction. Section 13.2.5 does not direct owners of existing caravans to change a plate, alter a trailer or obtain a new RAV entry.
- No transition timetable in the section. The publication page gives 19 August 2026 as the publication date, but the new section does not state a separate commencement date or grandfathering rule.
- No replacement for the ADRs. The bulletin says the applicable ADRs take precedence if an inconsistency arises.
The Road Vehicle Standards Act 2018 allows the Minister to determine national road vehicle standards by legislative instrument. VSB1 describes itself differently: it is intended to assist manufacturers in understanding the ADR requirements applying to common low-ATM trailers. That hierarchy is why the word choice in section 13.2.5 should be preserved and why a difficult approval question should be checked against the current ADR, the vehicle approval and the department or relevant authority.
A buyer’s VSB1 load-capacity checklist
Before relying on a payload claim for a new caravan or camper trailer, ask for a dated answer to each of these questions:
- What ATM, GTM and tare are recorded for this exact trailer, and do the plate and RAV search result agree?
- Which factory and dealer-fitted options are already included in tare?
- What full water, wastewater, gas and other fluid masses were allowed for?
- Has any greywater or blackwater allowance been reduced against freshwater, and by how much?
- Which provided holders, racks or mounts were treated as intended later fitments?
- What load was allowed for each jerry can, fuel load, bike or other intended item?
- How many sleeping berths were used for the personal-effects allowance?
- How was the allowance distributed when checking GTM and axle loads?
- Which tyre, wheel, axle, coupling and safety-chain ratings constrain the same configuration?
- What document revision and approval record support the answers?
Missing evidence does not prove a trailer is unsafe or non-compliant. It means the published capacity claim has not yet been made auditable. Record the answer and the source rather than substituting an estimate.
Disclosure and verification
Camper News AU is edited by Gauthier T., who works with brands in the Australian camper trailer industry, including Breath Trailer. Breath Trailer is covered by the same VSB1 and ADR framework as every other manufacturer; it had no role in this article, supplied no figures and received no favourable treatment. This explainer scores and ranks no brand.
We checked the Department of Infrastructure publication page, the 65-page August 2026 VSB1 PDF and the current Federal Register text of section 12 of the Road Vehicle Standards Act on 6 September 2026. The department’s own revision history records only the addition of section 13.2.5 for the August 2026 update. Where this article describes what the documents do not state, that conclusion is limited to those published records. Future revisions or a relevant ADR amendment may change the position; any material change will be handled through our corrections process.