What has to be written on a work diary daily sheet?

At the start of the day: the date, the vehicle's registration, the driver's name and licence number, the hours option, solo or two-up, and the time zone of the driver's base, plus the base address, record location and any accreditation number if they aren't already recorded. Then, for every change between work and rest, the time, the place and the odometer reading if one is fitted.

Do I still need to write the day and the daily totals?

Not since 1 August 2026. Marking the day of the week and writing the daily work and rest totals are now optional. You can still include them if they help you keep track of your hours.

How do I cancel a daily sheet I didn't use?

Draw two parallel lines across the middle of the page and write CANCELLED. That method didn't change with the 2026 amendments.

Can I keep using my old work diary after the changes?

Yes. Written work diaries issued before August 2026 can be used until they're finished, and the simplified recording rules apply to them too. The updated diary is being introduced as existing stock runs out.

Does an electronic work diary use daily sheets?

Not in the same way. An NHVR approved EWD records the same information electronically, so there's no sheet to fill in or cancel. Logmaster records each change to the minute, suggests the suburb from GPS and sends weekly log sheets to the record keeper.

The Work Diary Daily Sheet, Explained

Each day a driver needs a work diary, they fill in a daily sheet in the National Driver Work Diary. Here's what goes on it, what changed on 1 August 2026, and how an electronic work diary handles it instead. Logmaster is an NHVR approved electronic work diary that drivers run on Android or Apple phones and tablets.

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What Goes on the Daily Sheet

At the start of the day, the driver records the date, the registration of the fatigue-regulated vehicle, their name and licence number, the hours option they're working under, whether they're driving solo or two-up, and the time zone of their base. The base address, record location and any accreditation number go on too, unless they're already recorded and still current. After that, every change between work and rest is entered as it happens.

Recording Each Change of Activity

For each change, the driver notes what changed (work to rest, rest to work, or a switch between solo and two-up), the time, the place and the odometer reading if the vehicle has one. The registration only needs repeating if the driver has changed vehicles. The written diary's 24-hour grid is divided into 15-minute blocks, so time is recorded in quarter hours rather than exact minutes. The daily sheets are internal triplicate pages. Unused sheets are cancelled by drawing two parallel lines across the middle of the page and writing CANCELLED.

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A New ACH Box

A tick box for Alternative Compliance Hours (ACH) has been added to the Driver Hours Options section. On an older diary, ACH drivers mark AFM, strike out the letters and write ACH beside it.

Accreditation Number on Page 29

Drivers working under ACH record their accreditation number in the table on page 29 of the written work diary.

Day of the Week Now Optional

Drivers no longer have to mark the day of the week on each daily sheet.

Daily Totals Are Optional

Writing daily work and rest totals is now optional, although drivers can still add them if they find it useful.

Standard Box Can Be Left Blank

Drivers on Standard Hours or Standard Bus hours don't have to tick the Standard box. Drivers on BFM, AFM, ACH or exemption hours still mark the option they're using.

Older Diaries Still Valid

Diaries issued before August 2026 can be used until they're full, and the simpler recording rules apply to them as well. A lost diary that turns up no longer has to be sent back to the NHVR, but its unused sheets still have to be cancelled.

Heavy Vehicle Drivers

Drivers of fatigue-regulated vehicles who work 100km or more from base under Standard Hours, or at any distance under BFM, AFM, ACH or exemption hours, complete a daily sheet for each day they work.

Fleet Managers and Record Keepers

Record keepers hold drivers' work diary records for three years, in a readable form an authorised officer can access, at the record location the driver writes on the sheet.

Transport Business Owners

Owners rely on those sheets as evidence of how fatigue is managed. Gaps, illegible entries or missing pages weaken that evidence under Chain of Responsibility.

An Electronic Alternative to the Daily Sheet

Logmaster is an NHVR approved electronic work diary, used by more than 10,000 drivers in place of the written diary's daily sheets. Each change of activity is recorded to the minute, so there's no grid to fill in. It's ISO 27001 certified and supports Standard Hours, BFM, AFM, exemption hours and WA fatigue plans in one app.

Logmaster digital forms on a mobile phone

Logmaster dashboard on a mobile phone and tablet

Create an account at logmaster.com.au, or ask the team to show you how the daily sheet maps to the app.

Drivers install Logmaster on their Android or Apple device, or use a supplied tablet.

The driver's name, licence, base and fatigue plan go into their profile once, instead of onto every sheet.

Each change between work and rest is a tap, recorded with the time and the suburb.

Completed days go to your record keeper as weekly log sheets, with no carbon copies to file.

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The Work Diary Daily Sheet, Explained

What Goes on the Daily Sheet

Recording Each Change of Activity