Free chain of responsibility (cor) policy template

• The MapTrack chain of responsibility (cor) policy template contains 6 checks.
• Chain of Responsibility makes heavy vehicle safety a shared duty across every party in the supply chain, not just the driver.
• A CoR policy must cover mass, dimension, loading, speed, fatigue and maintenance, each with a named control and party.
• Executives and officers must exercise due diligence; a signed policy is part of that evidence.
• A party cannot contract out of its CoR duty under the Heavy Vehicle National Law.
• Review the policy yearly and after any incident, contract change or change to the HVNL.

Learn more about compliance and inspections in MapTrack.

• Shared accountability: names the CoR duty of every party so safety is not left to the driver alone but owned across the chain.
• Due diligence evidence: gives executives and officers a documented basis for the due diligence the HVNL expects of them.
• Risk coverage: addresses all the heavy vehicle risk areas of mass, dimension, loading, speed, fatigue and maintenance in one place.
• Consistent decisions: gives schedulers and loading crews one agreed standard so safety is not traded away under delivery pressure.
• Customer assurance: lets you show consignors, consignees and prime contractors that your business actively manages transport safety.
• Audit and incident ready: creates a signed baseline you can present to the NHVR, an auditor or an insurer after an incident or on request.

• Purpose and scope: the transport activities, sites and vehicles covered, and a statement that safety is a shared duty under the HVNL
• Parties in the chain: the consignor, packer, loader, operator, scheduler, consignee and others, with the CoR duty that applies to each
• Mass duties: how loads are kept within mass limits and how weights are confirmed before dispatch
• Dimension duties: how vehicle and load dimensions are checked against limits, including any restricted access vehicle conditions
• Loading and restraint duties: how loads are restrained to the NHVR Load Restraint Guide standard and who verifies the restraint
• Speed duties: how schedules, routes and incentives are set so they do not require or encourage speeding
• Fatigue duties: how work and rest hours and realistic delivery windows prevent fatigue, linked to the fatigue management plan
• Maintenance duties: how vehicles are kept roadworthy through scheduled servicing, defect reporting and repair
• Roles, reporting and review: who is responsible, how breaches and near misses are reported, and when the policy is reviewed

1. Map your supply chain and the parties in it

   List every party that influences a transport task across your operation, including consignors, packers, loaders, schedulers, operators and consignees. Identify which CoR party each role is under the HVNL so the duty is matched to the right person rather than left unassigned.

2. Identify the safety risks in each area

   Work through mass, dimension, loading restraint, speed, fatigue and maintenance, and record where each risk arises in your tasks. Look at real pressure points such as tight delivery windows, peak loads and yard turnaround that can push a party to cut a safety corner.

3. Set the controls and write them into the policy

   For each risk area, document the control that keeps the activity safe so far as is reasonably practicable, such as weighing before dispatch, restraint checks, realistic scheduling and a maintenance program. Assign the control to the party best placed to manage it.

4. Consult, approve and communicate

   Consult the parties and workers affected, have an executive approve and sign the policy to show officer due diligence, then communicate it through induction and toolbox talks. People can only meet a duty they know about, so make the expectations visible to every role.

5. Monitor, report and review

   Track breaches, defects, overloads and near misses, and act on them. Review the policy at least annually and after any incident, regulatory change, new contract or route change, and update the controls whenever the review shows the current arrangements are no longer adequate.

Practical answers about the form, record keeping and using MapTrack.

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.

• Heavy Vehicle National Law - Chain of Responsibility (the primary duty: each party in the supply chain must ensure the safety of transport activities so far as is reasonably practicable)
• Heavy Vehicle National Law - duties of executives and officers to exercise due diligence over transport safety
• National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) - Chain of Responsibility guidance and the four risk areas of speed, fatigue, mass and dimension, and loading
• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 - primary duty of care, aligned with the heavy vehicle safety duty
• NHVR Load Restraint Guide - load restraint performance standards referenced by the loading duty

• Model Work Health and Safety Act (Safe Work Australia)
• Heavy Vehicle National Law and Regulations (NHVR)

MapTrack publishes this template. The linked authorities publish their own guidance; they haven't endorsed this form.

• Chain of responsibility checklist
• Mass management plan template
• Load restraint checklist
• Fatigue management plan template
• Journey management plan
• Fleet safety program template
• Asset tracking
• Pricing