After the establishment in January of the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator, the National Transport Commission (NTC) has begun to look at the possible enhancements of the heavy vehicle National Law that could be put into place.
As a part of this review the NTC will also be looking at the Chain of Responsibility (COR) section of the Heavy Vehicle national Law along with a taskforce that comprises of stakeholders from the industry and government.
Under the COR aspect of the regulations all people that work in the supply chain, including executives, may be held legally accountable for any decisions or behaviour that causes a breach of the regulations.
NTC Project Director Dr Sarah Jones said the COR aspects of the law as it currently is will be assessed by the taskforce to determine that it can be fairly and consistently enforced by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator.
She said that the provisions in the law will be assessed to ensure that people in the supply chain are properly accountable and to understand if the COR provisions are in line with the Occupational Health and Safety legislation.
People in the supply chain that can currently be held accountable include:
- Executive officers
- Board members
- Consignors/consignees
- Packers
- Loaders
- Receivers
Any recommendations from this review will be given to the Standing Council on Transport and Infrastructure (SCOTI) later this year for approval.
Other work is also being undertaken in relation to the national Heavy Vehicle Law including:
- Working with the heavy vehicle industry to ensure the National Driver Work Diary reflects the requirements included in the new Heavy Vehicle (Fatigue Management) National Regulation 2013
- Improve the usability of the National Driver Work Diary for all parties
- Review the penalties framework of the Heavy National Vehicle Law
Peter Cutforth is a Director at Urban E-Learning, a global elearning and web strategy firm based in George St Brisbane. Peter's interests extend to training, safety and compliance, online marketing, and Mobile Apps.
