What is the Chain of Responsibility?
If you consign, pack, load or receive goods as part of your business, you could be held legally liable for breaches of the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) even though you have no direct role in driving or operating a heavy vehicle. This is the ‘Chain of Responsibility’ (COR). Therefore, under the Chain or Responsibility, everyone in the supply chain shares equal responsibility for complying with Heavy Vehicle National Law. So, if you have control over any transport task, you’re part of the supply chain and you’re responsible to make sure the law is followed.
Heavy Vehicle National Law Act 2012
Who does the Chain of Responsibility apply to?
Any person with an influence and/or control in the transport chain is a ‘party’ in the Chain of Responsibility and includes, but is not limited to:
- corporations, partnerships, unincorporated associations or other bodies corporate
- employers and company directors
- exporters/importers
- primary producers
- drivers (including a bus driver and an owner-driver)
- prime contractors of drivers
- the operator of a vehicle
- schedulers of goods or passengers for transport in or on a vehicle, and the scheduler of its driver
- consignors/consignees/receivers of the goods for transport
- loaders/unloaders of goods
- loading managers (the person who supervises loading/unloading, or manages the premises where this occurs).
When does Chain of Responsibility apply?
Everyone in the supply chain must make sure a driver can fulfil his duty without breaking the Heavy Duty National Law. Even off-road parties must take steps to prevent any offence from occurring. Common types of offences include a failure to observe mandated rest periods, exceeding the speed limit, or failing to comply with safety regulations for loading vehicles.
What are the penalties under the law?
A breach of Chain of Responsibility law may result in a penalty. Penalties might be administrative, for example, an improvement notice, a warning, or an infringement notice. Penalties might also be court-imposed, for example, supervisory intervention orders, licensing and registration sanctions, prohibition orders or commercial benefits penalties. If you fail to restrain a load correctly, or you overload a vehicle, you could be fined thousands of dollars under the legislation.
How onboard weighing can help you follow the Chain of Responsibility
Under the Chain of Responsibility law, any company involved in the transport of goods must ensure their trucks are loaded within safe and legal limits. Onboard weighing systems are highly accurate and they weigh in real-time. So when you use an onboard weighing system, you can ensure vehicles are loaded correctly and within safe legal limits the first time, every time. This means you can load trucks to their full capacity, without risk of overloading, and you won’t need to wait until trucks get to a weighbridge to find out whether a vehicle is overloaded.
Transporting overweight containers:
- accelerates road wear
- causes damage to infrastructure
- can result in longer braking distances and vehicle instability
- can affect performance and handling
- can be hazardous for drivers
AccuOnboard is Australia’s leading supplier of onboard vehicle weighing systems and onboard truck scales. They offer a comprehensive range of weighing products and solutions, backed by a highly trained and experienced service team. All AccuOnboard’s weighing systems are compliant with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, suitable for verifying truck and container weights. To find out more about AccuOnboard’s weighing solutions, call 1300 367 861 or visit www.accuonboard.com.au for more information.
