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Free chain of responsibility checklist
Free chain of responsibility (CoR) checklist for HVNL Section 26C. Cover speed, fatigue, mass, dimension, load restraint and vehicle standards.
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- Organisation
- ABN
- Assessed by
- Date
Checklist
Declaration
I confirm that this chain of responsibility self-assessment has been completed accurately and that the controls described above have been verified. Where non-conformances have been identified, corrective actions have been assigned. I understand that each party in the chain has a duty under HVNL Section 26C to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the safety of their transport activities, and that this checklist forms part of our due diligence records under Section 26E.
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Reviewed By (Senior Manager / Director)
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The MapTrack chain of responsibility checklist contains 25 checks.
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Short answer
A chain of responsibility checklist is a self-assessment of the controls each party in the heavy vehicle transport chain has over speed, fatigue, mass, dimension, loading, vehicle standards and access. Operators, schedulers, consignors, loaders and receivers run it, typically quarterly and after major changes. Section 26C of the HVNL requires each party to ensure the safety of its transport activities, so far as is reasonably practicable.
Checked against Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) (Current as at 1 August 2026, incorporating the Heavy Vehicle National Law Amendment Act 2025 (Queensland)) on by the MapTrack templates team. How we check templates
Key takeaways
- The MapTrack chain of responsibility checklist contains 25 checks.
- The HVNL covers vehicles over 4.5 t GVM or ATM in participating jurisdictions; it has not commenced in WA or the NT.
- Section 26D requires executives to exercise due diligence that their entity meets its safety duties; it is a duty, not a defence.
- Section 26E prohibits requests or contracts that would cause a driver to speed, drive while fatigued or breach work and rest hours.
- Since 1 August 2026, alternative compliance hours under fatigue accreditation replace BFM and AFM for new accreditations; existing ones run until they expire.
- The 2026 Master Code replaced the 2018 Master Industry Code of Practice; it is guidance on meeting the primary duty, not law.
What is a chain of responsibility checklist?
A chain of responsibility (CoR) checklist is a compliance tool used by every party in the heavy vehicle transport chain to verify they are meeting their duties under the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL). Under Section 26C of the HVNL, each party in the chain of responsibility must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the safety of their transport activities. This includes employers, prime contractors, operators, schedulers, consignors, consignees, packers, loaders and unloaders. The checklist covers the seven key CoR obligation areas: speed, fatigue, mass, dimension, loading, vehicle standards and road access.
In Australia, the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) enforces CoR obligations in the states and territories where the HVNL applies; it has not commenced in Western Australia or the Northern Territory. Penalties for breaching CoR duties can be significant, including fines exceeding $50,000 for individuals and $500,000 for corporations, director liability and, in serious cases, imprisonment. The checklist provides a systematic way to verify that controls are in place across all obligation areas before, during and after transport operations. It also creates documented evidence of due diligence, which Section 26D of the HVNL requires executives to exercise to ensure their organisation complies with its safety duties. Fleet managers, transport coordinators, warehouse supervisors and logistics managers use this checklist to conduct regular self-assessments and prepare for NHVR audits or investigations.
Learn more about GPS and fleet tracking in MapTrack.
Working through your CoR duties? Our fleet guide explains NHVR compliance and chain of responsibility for Australian fleets.
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Benefits of using this chain of responsibility checklist
- HVNL compliance: systematically verify that controls are in place across all seven CoR obligation areas (speed, fatigue, mass, dimension, loading, vehicle standards, road access).
- Due diligence evidence: a completed checklist demonstrates the organisation has taken reasonably practicable steps to meet its CoR duties, and supports the due diligence that HVNL Section 26D requires of executives.
- Penalty avoidance: proactively identifying gaps in CoR controls helps avoid substantial fines, director liability and potential imprisonment for serious breaches.
- Audit readiness: regular self-assessments using the checklist prepare the organisation for NHVR audits, investigations and compliance reviews.
- Supply chain accountability: the checklist can be shared with supply chain partners (consignors, loaders, schedulers) to verify that all parties are meeting their respective CoR obligations.
- Risk reduction: systematic checks across fatigue, mass, load restraint and vehicle standards reduce the risk of heavy vehicle incidents caused by preventable compliance failures.
What to include in a chain of responsibility checklist
- Party identification: organisation name, ABN, role in the chain (operator, consignor, consignee, scheduler, loader, packer, unloader), responsible person, date of assessment.
- Speed management: scheduling practices do not encourage speeding, delivery windows allow for legal speed compliance, GPS or telematics data reviewed for speed events.
- Fatigue management: driver work and rest hours comply with the applicable hours option (standard hours, alternative compliance hours, or BFM or AFM hours under an existing accreditation), rosters are designed to allow adequate rest, fatigue reporting systems are in place.
- Mass management: weighing or estimation procedures ensure vehicles do not exceed legal mass limits (GVM, GCM, axle limits), weighbridge or on-board scales used where required.
- Dimension compliance: loads do not exceed legal height, width, length or overhang limits, permits obtained for over-dimension loads.
- Loading and load restraint: loads are restrained in accordance with the Load Restraint Guide 2025 (the 2018 edition remains valid for use), loading procedures documented, staff trained in load restraint methods.
- Vehicle standards: vehicles maintained to roadworthy standards, pre-start inspections completed, defects reported and rectified before dispatch, maintenance records current.
- Road access: vehicles operate on approved routes only, permits obtained for restricted access vehicles (RAV), bridge and road restrictions checked before dispatch.
- Documentation: copies of mass declarations, consignment notes, load restraint records, fatigue records, maintenance records and permits are retained.
How to use this chain of responsibility checklist
Identify the parties in the chain and their CoR roles.
List every party involved in the transport activity: the operator, consignor, consignee, scheduler, loader, packer and unloader. Assign a responsible person within each organisation. The checklist should be completed by or on behalf of each party for their area of responsibility.
Review speed management controls.
Confirm that scheduling and delivery windows do not require drivers to exceed legal speed limits. Review telematics or GPS data for recent speed events. Verify that contracts and KPIs do not create incentives to speed.
Verify fatigue management compliance.
Check that driver rosters comply with the applicable hours option (standard hours, alternative compliance hours, or BFM or AFM hours under an existing accreditation). Confirm that work diaries or electronic work diaries (EWD) are being completed correctly. Review whether scheduling practices allow adequate rest periods between shifts.
Assess mass, dimension and loading controls.
Verify that mass is being checked (weighbridge, on-board scales or documented estimation method) before dispatch. Confirm dimension checks are performed for height, width and overhang. Inspect load restraint to ensure it meets the NTC Load Restraint Guide requirements.
Check vehicle standards and road access.
Confirm that pre-start inspections are being completed for every vehicle before each trip. Review maintenance records to ensure scheduled servicing is current. Verify that vehicles are operating on approved routes and that any required access permits are in place.
Record findings, assign corrective actions and sign off.
Document any gaps or non-conformances identified during the assessment. Assign corrective actions with owners and due dates. The responsible person signs the completed checklist, which is then filed as evidence of due diligence.
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How often should you complete this checklist?
A chain of responsibility self-assessment should be completed at least quarterly for ongoing transport operations. Conduct an additional assessment whenever there is a significant change, such as a new contract, a new route, a change in vehicle type, a change in loading procedures, or following an incident or near-miss. Many organisations conduct monthly spot-checks on specific CoR areas (for example, fatigue records one month, mass compliance the next) in addition to the full quarterly assessment. The checklist should also be completed before any NHVR audit or compliance review. Retain all completed checklists for a minimum of three years as part of your CoR due diligence records.
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Frequently asked questions
Practical answers about the form, record keeping and using MapTrack.
Chain of responsibility (CoR) is a legal framework under the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) that extends safety obligations beyond the driver and operator to every party in the transport supply chain. Under Section 26C, each party (employer, prime contractor, operator, scheduler, consignor, consignee, packer, loader, unloader) must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the safety of their transport activities. This covers speed, fatigue, mass, dimension, loading, vehicle standards and road access.
Link to this answerCoR obligations apply to every party in the heavy vehicle transport chain. This includes the driver, the vehicle operator, the employer of the driver, the prime contractor, the scheduler of transport, the consignor (sender of goods), the consignee (receiver of goods), the packer, the loader and the unloader. Each party has a duty to ensure safety within their area of influence, even if they do not physically operate or load the vehicle.
Link to this answerPenalties for CoR breaches under the HVNL can be substantial. For individuals, maximum fines range from $50,000 for a category 3 offence to $150,000 for category 2 and $300,000 for category 1, and category 1 offences (reckless conduct that exposes a person to a risk of death or serious injury or illness) also carry up to five years imprisonment. For corporations, maximum fines range from $500,000 to $3,000,000. These are the amounts in the Law; the NHVR publishes indexed amounts each year. Directors and officers can face personal liability. The NHVR can also issue improvement notices, prohibition orders and enforceable undertakings.
Link to this answerUnder Section 26D of the HVNL, each executive of a legal entity that has a safety duty must exercise due diligence to ensure the entity complies with that duty. It is a duty on executives, not a defence. Due diligence includes taking reasonable steps to keep up to date on safe transport practice, understand the transport activities of the entity and their risks, provide and use appropriate resources and processes, and verify they are in use. Showing it was met calls for evidence of active compliance measures, including documented risk assessments, standard operating procedures, training, monitoring, audits and corrective actions. A regularly completed CoR checklist provides strong evidence of due diligence.
Link to this answerThe HVNL chain of responsibility provisions apply specifically to heavy vehicles (vehicles with a gross vehicle mass or aggregate trailer mass exceeding 4.5 tonnes). However, the general duty provisions of WHS legislation apply to all work vehicles, including light vehicles. Many organisations extend their CoR-style controls to light vehicle fleets as a matter of best practice.
Link to this answerThe NHVR conducts compliance audits and investigations to verify that parties in the transport chain are meeting their HVNL obligations. A completed CoR checklist, along with the supporting records (fatigue logs, mass records, maintenance records, load restraint records), provides the documented evidence auditors look for. Regular self-assessments using the checklist help identify and close gaps before an audit, reducing the risk of enforcement action.
Link to this answerApplicable regulatory standards
This form is a starting point. Check the current requirements that apply to your equipment, work and location. The form alone does not establish compliance.
| Standard | Edition | Clauses this template relies on | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Vehicle National Law (Queensland)The primary duty, the executive due diligence duty, prohibited requests and contracts, and the 4.5 t heavy vehicle definition. | Current as at 1 August 2026, incorporating the Heavy Vehicle National Law Amendment Act 2025 (Queensland) |
| Queensland Government (Office of the Queensland Parliamentary Counsel), administered by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator |
| Master Code of Practice 2026The 2026 Master Code, built around 45 activities; guidance on meeting the primary duty, not law. | 2026 Master Code (January 2026) | Whole instrument | National Heavy Vehicle Regulator |
| Chain of Responsibility (CoR)NHVR guidance on the Chapter 1A duties that this checklist works through. | NHVR web guidance current at check date | Whole instrument | National Heavy Vehicle Regulator |
| Heavy Vehicle (Fatigue Management) National RegulationWork and rest limits and work diary rules the fatigue section checks. | Current as at 1 August 2026 (Queensland Legislation reprint) | Queensland Government (Office of the Queensland Parliamentary Counsel), administered by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator | |
| Heavy Vehicle (Mass, Dimension and Loading) National RegulationThe load restraint performance standards behind the loading section. | Current as at 1 August 2026 (Queensland Legislation reprint) |
| Queensland Government (Office of the Queensland Parliamentary Counsel), administered by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator |
| Load Restraint Guide 2025Load Restraint Guide 2025 (Edition 4), now published by the NHVR; guidance showing restraint methods that meet Schedule 7. | Load Restraint Guide 2025 (Edition 4) | Whole instrument | National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (earlier editions published by the National Transport Commission) |
Heavy Vehicle National Law (Queensland)
Edition: Current as at 1 August 2026, incorporating the Heavy Vehicle National Law Amendment Act 2025 (Queensland)
The primary duty, the executive due diligence duty, prohibited requests and contracts, and the 4.5 t heavy vehicle definition.
- s 26C: Primary duty: each party in the chain must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the safety of its transport activities.
- s 26D: Executives of a legal entity with a safety duty, other than executives acting voluntarily, must exercise due diligence to ensure the entity complies with it.
- s 26E: Prohibits requests and contracts that would cause a driver to speed, drive fatigued or breach work and rest hours.
- s 26A: Principle of shared responsibility: safety of transport activities is shared by every party in the chain of responsibility.
- s 6: Defines a heavy vehicle as a vehicle with a GVM or ATM over 4.5 tonnes, or a combination including one.
Master Code of Practice 2026
Edition: 2026 Master Code (January 2026)
The 2026 Master Code, built around 45 activities; guidance on meeting the primary duty, not law.
Chain of Responsibility (CoR)
Edition: NHVR web guidance current at check date
NHVR guidance on the Chapter 1A duties that this checklist works through.
Heavy Vehicle (Fatigue Management) National Regulation
Edition: Current as at 1 August 2026 (Queensland Legislation reprint)
Work and rest limits and work diary rules the fatigue section checks.
Heavy Vehicle (Mass, Dimension and Loading) National Regulation
Edition: Current as at 1 August 2026 (Queensland Legislation reprint)
The load restraint performance standards behind the loading section.
- Schedule 7: Loading performance standards: 0.8g forward, 0.5g rearward and lateral, and 0.2g vertical if friction or limited vertical displacement is relied on.
Load Restraint Guide 2025
Edition: Load Restraint Guide 2025 (Edition 4)
Load Restraint Guide 2025 (Edition 4), now published by the NHVR; guidance showing restraint methods that meet Schedule 7.
National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (earlier editions published by the National Transport Commission)
Each source was read at its publisher and the page checked on 26 October 2026. The publisher's current text is the authority.
MapTrack publishes this template. The linked authorities publish their own guidance; they haven't endorsed this form.
The numbers behind this chain of responsibility checklist
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The MapTrack chain of responsibility checklist contains 25 checks.
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- MapTrack Chain of responsibility checklist, https://www.maptrack.com/templates/chain-of-responsibility-checklist
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- MapTrack. (2026). Chain of responsibility checklist [Checklist template]. Retrieved from https://www.maptrack.com/templates/chain-of-responsibility-checklist
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<div style="max-width:480px;font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,'Segoe UI',Roboto,sans-serif;border:1px solid #E5E7EB;border-radius:12px;padding:20px;background:#ffffff;">
<p style="font-size:12px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:0.05em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#071D49;margin:0;">Free template</p>
<p style="font-size:18px;font-weight:700;color:#071D49;margin:6px 0 0;">Chain of responsibility checklist</p>
<ul style="margin:12px 0 0;padding-left:18px;color:#374151;font-size:14px;line-height:1.6;">
<li style="margin:4px 0;">Party identification: organisation name, ABN, role in the chain (operator, consignor, consignee, scheduler, loader, packer, unloader), responsible person, date of assessment.</li>
<li style="margin:4px 0;">Speed management: scheduling practices do not encourage speeding, delivery windows allow for legal speed compliance, GPS or telematics data reviewed for speed events.</li>
<li style="margin:4px 0;">Fatigue management: driver work and rest hours comply with the applicable hours option (standard hours, alternative compliance hours, or BFM or AFM hours under an existing accreditation), rosters are designed to allow adequate rest, fatigue reporting systems are in place.</li>
<li style="margin:4px 0;">Mass management: weighing or estimation procedures ensure vehicles do not exceed legal mass limits (GVM, GCM, axle limits), weighbridge or on-board scales used where required.</li>
<li style="margin:4px 0;">Dimension compliance: loads do not exceed legal height, width, length or overhang limits, permits obtained for over-dimension loads.</li>
<li style="margin:4px 0;">Loading and load restraint: loads are restrained in accordance with the Load Restraint Guide 2025 (the 2018 edition remains valid for use), loading procedures documented, staff trained in load restraint methods.</li>
</ul>
<p style="font-size:13px;color:#6B7280;margin:14px 0 0;padding-top:12px;border-top:1px solid #E5E7EB;">Free <a href="https://www.maptrack.com/templates/chain-of-responsibility-checklist" style="color:#071D49;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none;">Chain of responsibility checklist</a> by MapTrack</p>
</div>Free to reuse, including commercially. This template is published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. Copy it, adapt it, put it on your own site or in your own docs. All we ask is that you credit MapTrack with a link back to this page. The snippet above already includes that credit, so if you use it as-is you’re covered.
About the author
Co-Founder & Commercial Director
Jarrod has spent over a decade in technology consulting and asset management, including roles at Accenture (mining and heavy industry) and CGI as an Asset Management Consultant. He co-founded MapTrack and built and scaled its original platform, then rebuilt it with Lachlan and Alex from thousands of customer conversations and 300+ user research sessions with field teams. His consulting background gives him deep insight into the operational and compliance challenges facing asset-intensive Australian businesses.
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