Since the Australian Government legislated the Chain of Responsibility (CoR) in the mid-2000s, the transport industry has become an increasingly safer part of the nation’s economy.
There have been several additions and amendments to the law, which states that everyone who works in and around heavy vehicles is accountable for safety. The CoR covers 10 key roles within the transport sector including heavy vehicle drivers; prime contractors; operators; schedulers; consignors; consignees; packers; loading managers; loaders; and unloaders.
Each of these roles plays an integral part in the CoR, and their actions or non-action can affect the supply chain at any point.
As a fourth-party logistics (4PL) operator with supply chain management at its core, AFS Logistics is involved in each of these roles.
So, who keeps everyone in check and oversees the massive task of compliance at AFS Logistics? National Compliance Manager, Peter James.
With 33 years’ experience working with transportation compliance, Peter was hired by AFS in 2019 to keep up-to-date with the evolving compliance laws and instil a culture of safety across their network.
It’s never an easy job to stay across so many carrier partners, AFS facilities, drivers, parcels and vehicles, but Peter has learned a lot from his time working at seven different logistics groups.
“AFS is the most safety focussed and compliant company I’ve ever worked with – and I’ve worked with a lot of companies.” – Peter James, AFS National Compliance Manager
Why the Law is in Place
As anyone in the industry should be aware, there are plenty of hazards in the everyday operation that cannot go unchecked. In 2000, the number of crashes involving heavy vehicles was approximately 1,886, with 53% blamed upon the heavy vehicle driver. There were also 293 fatalities where 32% were the fault of the heavy vehicle driver.
The CoR was legislated in 2005 as part of the National Road Transport Reform (Compliance and Enforcement) Act 2003, which recognised the growing risk of road crashes involving heavy vehicles.
How does AFS Logistics Ensure Compliance?
As part of AFS’ onboarding process, Peter screens all new carriers to ensure they are compliant.
“When a new carrier comes onboard, we explain our services to them, but make it clear that we have a legal and moral obligation to only work with carriers and customers who are willing to meet a certain safety standard,” he says.
“They’re given a rating from 0 to 100%. Of our roughly 120 carriers who’ve gone through this process, 92–95% would be in the top 10 percentile for compliance” Peter explains.
How does AFS Logistics go Above and Beyond?
What about those carriers who don’t make the grade?
“Rather than saying we don’t want to deal with you, we offer them the opportunity to improve their position with information, training, advice, auditing, and supporting them through an improvement plan,” Peter says.
“It may come to the point where we cut carriers loose because they’re unwilling to meet our standards. But in most cases, we help them to become more compliant and organised.”
“Once a month, I’ll do a site visit with a random carrier to discuss their assessment audit and also review the outcome of any action plans.”
“If they say they have individual training records, for instance, we’ll ask to see some basic proof of this, for example if they say they have a dedicated dangerous goods area we ask to see evidence of this arrangement.”
“Not only does this give us peace of mind that we’re giving our customers the most suitable carrier for their needs, it also makes us comfortable that they are operating safely and meeting the CoR code.”
The Future of Compliance
The Chain of Responsibility is evolving all the time, and AFS Logistics is constantly keeping abreast of these developments. Peter says he is receiving updates on the CoR almost daily.
If you need advice or support to stay up to date, or if you have any questions relating to the information above, please contact AFS Logistics and make sure your company is fully compliant.
