Chain of Responsibility

Chain of Responsibility (CoR) is a legislated requirement that everyone involved in the supply chain is legally obliged to ensure the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) is adhered to. While it sounds technical, basically it comes down to doing your part to ensure a safe industry. CoR is designed to meet this safety goal by addressing driver fatigue management, speed, overloading, and load restraint issues by putting legal obligation on parties involved in the supply chain. The law, which was revised in 2018, recognises that there can be multiple parties responsible for any offences a driver or operators of heavy vehicles can make. Couriers and Freight as shipping experts with years of experience working with transport providers understands how CoR impacts everyone involved in the supply chain.

A supervisor explaining safety documentation to a forklift driver

Parties defined under CoR laws

The parties in the Chain of Responsibility for a heavy vehicle are:

An employer of a driver
A prime contractor for the driver – if the vehicle’s driver is self-employed
An operator of the vehicle
A scheduler for the vehicle
A loading manager for any goods in the vehicle
A loader and/or unloader of a vehicle
A consignor of any goods for transport by the vehicle
A consignee of any goods in the vehicle
A loader and/or unloader of any goods in the vehicle.

CoR and Your Business

If you’re booking freight you might be wondering what CoR means for you, as a consignor or consignee you have obligations under the legislation.
CoR requires all parties who can influence or control the supply chain and transport function are responsible for compliance with and will be held accountable for any breaches in HVNL. That means if you consign, pack, load or receive goods as part of your business, you could be held legally liable for breaches of this law.
As a shipper of freight you need to understand that the COR starts with you! Ultimately, what you send, how you package your freight, how you send freight is the first step. Not complying with CoR regulations means you could potentially put people's lives at risk, be fined or even prosecuted.

Parties defined under CoR laws

Breaches to CoR range from poorly packaged goods, mislabelled weights and dimensions, poor loading and unloading practices. Some examples of CoR breaches are listed below:

Failure to accurately package consignments with effective and sturdy cartons, skids, and pallets see www.nhvr.gov.au
Failure to measure, weight and declare each consignment
Failure to secure loads
Causing excess delays in loading and unloading vehicles

If you are unsure of requirements you can visit the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator website or alternative call us 1300 11 10 11 and we’ll be happy to answer your questions.

How you can avoid CoR breaches

Ensuring all items are placed in proper packing, including new boxes, skids or pallets including double checking all weights and dimensions
Failure to measure, weight and declare each consignment
Failure to secure loads
Causing excess delays in loading and unloading vehicles

If you are unsure of requirements you can visit the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator website or alternative call us 1300 11 10 11 and we’ll be happy to answer your questions.

Parties defined under CoR laws

CoR and Your Business

Parties defined under CoR laws

How you can avoid CoR breaches

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