For those within the fleet profession it is
important to understand what your obligations
are and how to instil that knowledge among
your drivers. The following outlines the key
aspects, penalties and information stated within
the new Chain of Responsibility Legislation
and provides crucial advice on how to keep
your overall supply chain educated and more
importantly safe.
WHAT ARE THE KEY OBJECTIVES
OF COR LEGISLATION?
In many cases the new legislation is meant to
be an increase on current laws rather than a
complete overhaul of Chain of Responsibility
framework. From October 1 the focus is about
increased awareness and proactive efforts to
manage risk:
Current Legislation Updated 2018
Legislation
Deemed liability Primary Duty
Reasonable steps So far as reasonably
practicable
Onus on defendant Onus returns to
prosecution
Fatigue, speed, MDL Vehicle standards
added
3. To create a level playing field by penalising
“cheating companies” Executive officers after
corporation Positive duty
4. To provide a safer industry for driver Focus on driving
breaches Focus on business
practices
At its core the changes to CoR aren’t set up to
deliberately punish or condemn individuals or
organisations, but rather create a level playing
field that ultimately promotes safer industry
practice. New CoR laws imply that anyone
who has influence over the transport activity is
ultimately responsible for safety on the road.
There are perhaps four overriding practical
reasons for the recommended changes:
1. To increase public safety on the roads
2. To protect public infrastructure
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What are the key legislative changes that
are being implemented?
ISSUE 13 2018 / WWW.AFMA.NET.AU