Does your company meet Operation Austrans standards?

Compliance in the Transport Industry is becoming increasingly complex.

Current operations such as Operation Austrans in place across Australia from May 18 till June 16 is targeting non-compliance and crime on Australian Roads.

Key focus is speeding, drug and alcohol use, fatigue and roadworthiness. Engine Control modules are being downloaded to identify trucks which are non-compliant.

NSW Police Traffic and Highway Patrol Commands assistant commissioner John Hartley says, “they are focused solely on Heavy Vehicle Safety. Given previous fatal crashes and recent court outcomes it is critical that those who load, maintain, operate and drive trucks focus on compliance”

This is of critical importance if you are in the Transport and / or Logistics supply chain, legislation allows for penalties in the Chain of Responsibility to apply to all parties not solely the truck driver.

If you contract out your transport services you are still responsible, if you operate your own in house fleet you are responsible and if you have multiple operations you will still be held responsible.

How do you ensure compliance? How do you know your transport services are meeting the legal requirements for the Chain of Responsibility?

The four key areas are

• Load Restraint

• Fatigue

• Speed

• Mass Management

• Speed

Maintenance is also becoming increasingly a key focus area. The recent Transport and Infrastructure Council meeting held in Sydney on Friday 22 May 2015 agreed to bring forward consideration of a package of measures to expedite national consistency and compliance improvements for decision in November 2015. The package which will include measures regarding Chain of Responsibility duties for vehicle maintenance and scheduled inspections with the intention of implementing improvements as soon as possible.

One method to help identify the status of your current Policies and Procedures and if they meet the Compliance and Enforcement requirements is to have a Gap Analysis Audit.

A Gap analysis audit will help the organisation to understand its level of compliance to a prescribed set of regulations or legislation. It is primarily a document review and a discussion on how the organisation might provide the evidence to show compliance exists within the organisation.

When should you conduct a Gap Analysis?

The best time to conduct a gap analysis is when the organisation is at the start of a journey towards accreditation or simply wanting to recognise its obligations under Chain of Responsibility. It can also be conducted after significant work has been done to establish policies and procedures to identify its progress and what gaps still exist. As soon as an organisation is able to identify “holes” in their business it begs the question what else exists we are not aware of, and this is a great time to begin a Gap Analysis Audit. SAI Global in a recent article stated, “An office based company with operations in all Australian jurisdictions and in New Zealand would probably need to comply with some 1500 Acts, Regulations and Codes.” Transport compliance is a significant part of these Regulations and Codes.

What does a Gap Analysis Audit Cover?

The Gap Analysis Audit covers 10 Key Elements:

1. Legal Compliance and Chain of Responsibility

2. OH&S Risk Assessment & Compliance

3. Fatigue Management (Scheduling, Time-Slot Flexibility, Waiting Time, Queuing, Loading & Unloading)

4. Communications

5. Safe Loads Preparation, Restraint & Containment, Mass, Container Weight Declarations & Dangerous Goods

6. Speed Management

7. Equipment

8. Driver Health/Drug and Alcohol Free Workplace

9. Sub-contractor Assessments, and

10. Operational Infrastructures.

How is the audit conducted?

The audit is a series of business responses aligned to:

• WH&S Act 2011 & WHS Regulations 2011

• Heavy Vehicle National Legislation

• Insurance Requirements

• RMS Road Rules and Regulations

• Dangerous Goods (Road & Rail Transport) Regulation

• Company Procedures and Best Practice

• Austroads Assessing Fitness to Drive

• Fair Work Australia State Awards

• National Transport Commission

• NHVAS Accreditation requirements

• National Trade Measurement Regulations

• State EPA Regulations

• NSW Government Safer Technologies for Heavy Vehicles

The Gap Analysis Report

A good gap analysis report provides a clear understanding of what the organisation does well, what areas exist for improvement, and where non-conformances exist. The person conducting the audit is able to provide coaching and solutions to help close out gaps where in an external audit this would not be possible and would be seen as a conflict of interest.

Modal Logistics has audit tools to assist your Organisation

Modal Logistics can provide a Gap Analysis audit of your business. By utilising current Logistics Safety Codes from across both Industry and Government.

By utilising this mix of Industry Safety Codes the organisation is able to accept responsibility for transport safety by being made aware of the regulations and legislation for which they have specific responsibility. How can you accept responsibility until you are made aware of it?

Modal Logistics can provide you with a thorough gap analysis to identify what needs to be implemented or changed. With Modal Logistics expertise we help identify where you have already arrived in Compliance and target those areas that need to be worked on. We will help you close out the gaps. Training of staff and guidance on developing documents to support your requirements can also be provided to you.

Once the Gap Analysis has been completed the organisation has a clearly articulated report which will help the organisation begin to develop a Project Plan which can be used to guide the organisation to compliance. The report will allow the business to recognise the timing required for each element and its priority within the business. We are able to assess your timing requirements to give you feedback on the suitability to make the required changes.

In Summary

With a multitude of Acts, Regulations and Codes which affect Transport and the Chain of Responsibility, how can you effectively know you are meeting your responsibilities?

A Gap Analysis Audit conducted by Modal logistics will provide you with the clarity needed and remove the confusion. A clearly articulated plan will then guide you towards meeting your Chain of Responsibility.

Do not be afraid of such an audit it is a tool designed to assist you, not reproach you.

Call Modal Logistics on 0417 220 712 and let's discuss your situation.