In plain English
Under the law, everyone in the freight chain, including the business that sends or receives the load, shares responsibility for road safety, not just the driver. We manage the risks in our control (fatigue, load restraint, safe scheduling) and ask you to help by giving accurate weights, packing safely and allowing realistic timeframes.
Chain of Responsibility (CoR) is the part of the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) that makes everyone in the freight supply chain, not just the driver, responsible for safety on the road. This policy explains how we meet our CoR obligations and what we ask of the businesses whose freight we carry.
At a Glance
- What CoR is
- A shared legal duty for heavy-vehicle safety across the whole supply chain
- Who it covers
- Consignors, packers, loaders, operators and receivers, including you
- Our part
- Fatigue-safe scheduling, correct load restraint, mass/dimension limits, route planning
- Your part
- Accurate weights & descriptions, safe packing, DG declared, realistic timeframes
- Governed by
- The Heavy Vehicle National Law, administered by the NHVR
What Chain of Responsibility Means
Under the HVNL, each party who has control or influence over a transport task shares a primary duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the safety of that task. The law names ten functions that make a business a party, including consignors, packers, loaders, schedulers, consignees and operators, so the duty extends well beyond the transport company itself. If your business sends or receives heavy-vehicle freight, you are part of the chain. The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (opens in a new tab) administers and enforces these obligations.
View photo brief
Horizontal flat-vector chain diagram on a white background showing six linked parties, each as a navy line icon inside a chain link: consignor (a business/warehouse sending goods), packer (cartons being packed), loader (forklift loading a trailer), scheduler (a calendar and clock), operator (a depot/office directing the vehicle), and consignee (a delivery door receiving goods). The links visibly interlock to reinforce that the duty is shared, with each party clearly labelled beneath. Simple, regulatory-neutral, no logos or regulator branding. Stacks vertically on mobile.
cor-supply-chain-parties.svg · alt: "Diagram showing the parties sharing Chain of Responsibility duties: consignor, packer, loader, scheduler, operator and consignee"Our Commitment
We manage the risks within our control so our transport activities are safe and lawful. In practice, we:
- manage driver fatigue through compliant scheduling and realistic transit times, and we will not set a schedule that can only be met by speeding or breaching fatigue limits;
- restrain loads correctly and to standard before they travel;
- operate within mass, dimension and loading limits;
- plan routes appropriate to the vehicle and the load; and
- hold subcontracted carriers who move freight under our name to the same standards.
View photo brief
Photograph of a driver in high-vis carefully checking and tensioning load restraint straps over a secured load on a trailer at a depot, with a checklist or tablet resting nearby. Methodical and unhurried in feel, clear natural daylight. Communicates safe scheduling and correct load restraint as routine practice rather than a posed safety shot.
cor-safe-load-restraint.jpg · alt: "Driver securing a load to standard before departure"What We Ask of You
CoR is shared, so meeting it depends partly on the information and conditions you provide. To help keep the chain safe, we ask that you:
- give accurate freight descriptions, weights and dimensions so loads can be planned and restrained safely;
- package and present freight so it can be handled and secured properly;
- declare dangerous goods correctly and in advance;
- allow realistic timeframes for collection and delivery rather than demanding schedules that create safety pressure; and
- provide safe, accessible loading and unloading conditions at your sites.
Working Together
Safety on the road is a shared responsibility, and it works best when everyone in the chain plays their part. If you have questions about how CoR applies to your freight, contact us and we'll talk it through.
This policy may be updated from time to time. Last updated: .
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Chain of Responsibility?
Chain of Responsibility (CoR) is the part of the Heavy Vehicle National Law that makes every party in the freight supply chain, including consignors, packers, loaders, operators and receivers, share responsibility for heavy-vehicle safety, not just the driver.
Does Chain of Responsibility apply to my business if I only send freight?
Yes. If your business consigns, packs, loads or receives heavy-vehicle freight, you are a party in the chain and share the primary duty to ensure safety so far as is reasonably practicable.