Plan for fitness and delays
Consider rosters, night work, cumulative fatigue, health, secondary employment and on-site waiting. Drivers must be able to raise fatigue concerns before dispatch.
Practical controls and example evidence
| Hazard | Example control | Example evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Cumulative fatigue | Assess roster risk and the applicable Standard Hours, BFM or AFM arrangements before allocating work. | Rosters, work/rest checks and dispatch sign-offs. |
| Detention consuming planned rest | Track turnaround times, adjust schedules and provide suitable facilities where practicable. | Arrival/departure records and variance reviews. |
| Fitness concerns | Use a proportionate fit-for-duty process, appropriate medical assessment and non-punitive safety escalation. Protect sensitive health information. | Fitness checks, confidential assessment records and action logs. |
| Work/rest breaches | Check applicable work/rest rules using compliant records, auditing and approved Electronic Work Diaries where chosen. EWDs are not universally mandatory. | Work diary records, non-conformance investigations and corrections. |
Shared responsibilities
Employers, prime contractors, schedulers, loading managers and operators may be CoR parties according to their actual functions. An employee driver is not automatically a CoR party solely because they drive; drivers still have driving and fatigue obligations. Owner-drivers are operators.
Source and scope
Read the official 2026 Master Code and registered Code PDF. This independent CoR Australia guidance illustrates controls and evidence to consider; it is not the regulator’s publication, an exhaustive checklist, legal advice or a compliance certificate. Select controls for your circumstances so far as is reasonably practicable. The HVNL operates in participating jurisdictions, not Western Australia or the Northern Territory.