2/9/2014

National Chain of Responsibility (COR) laws in trucking will be strengthened, however further work must be done on what that entails as well as its extension to heavy vehicle maintenance and executive office liability.

The Chain of Responsibility Review Taskforce Report shows the Transport and Infrastructure Council (the Council) endorsed 12 of the Reports 13 recommendations it also called for the National Transport Commission (NTC) to provide options for extending provisions to cover heavy vehicle maintenance standards and road worthiness prior to the November meeting of the Council.

The Council also supported the report’s advice that the NTC explore the consistency of the executive officer liability provisions in the Heavy Vehicle National Laws (HVNL) with the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) principles and guidelines relating to duties of company directors.

Over the coming weeks and months the National Transport Commission will be releasing policy developments with an aim to strengthen the national COR laws. This will have a significant impact on stakeholders that consign, pack, load or receive goods as part of their business, that could be held legally liable for breaches of road transport laws.

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