TruckSafe

What is TruckSafe?

TruckSafe is a Business and Risk Management system which is aimed at improving the safety and professionalism of trucking operators, nation wide. It is an industry initiative, which delivers competitive advantages to accredited operators.

TruckSafe helps operators, from owner-drivers to fleet managers, to demonstrate and document their systems under the four core standards:

1. Management

Aimed at ensuring that a trucking operator has a documented business system which covers each of the four standards.

2. Maintenance

Aimed at ensuring vehicles and trailers are kept in a safe and roadworthy condition. This standard covers the requirement for daily checks, fault reporting and recording, fault repair, scheduled maintenance, maintenance records and documentation, maintenance responsibilities, internal review as well as maintenance training and education. TruckSafe maintenance also complies with NHVAS maintenance standards.

3. Workplace & Driver Health

Aimed at ensuring that drivers are fit and healthy and Occupational Health and Safety requirements are met. This standard covers requirements for Workplace Health and Safety, Driver Health Screening (including medicals), the role of the medical practitioner, rehabilitation and fatigue management.

4. Training

Aimed at ensuring that drivers are licensed, authorized and trained for the tasks which they are undertaking.

These are the minimum standards a trucking operator should meet for it to be a safe responsible business. For operators, accreditation shows they are meeting their due diligence requirements and duty of care.

For customers, TruckSafe provides confidence that contractors have responsible work practices, well maintained vehicles, healthy and trained drivers and management systems to meet their transport needs. This also helps customers meet their own due diligence requirements.

Under Chain of Responsibility and OHS legislation, TruckSafe helps customers undertake due diligence by verifying that the contractors they use have safe work practices, safe trucks, healthy drivers and appropriate management systems.

NatRoad is the leading Core Provider of TruckSafe and can provide full implementation support to help you become accredited and stay accredited.

What are the Benefits?

TruckSafe enables you to demonstrate to customers that you have systems in place that will assist in reducing exposure to risk through safe work practices, safe and well maintained trucks, healthy drivers and sound management systems. Thereby meeting your duty of care and Occupational Health & Safety responsibilities.

As a result this may lead to:

- Recognition from customers and prime contractors,
- Recognition from financial institutions and enforcement agencies,
- Reduced workers compensation and insurance costs,
- Reduced maintenance costs, and
- Improvements in your overall operation through entry and compliance audits.

Internal Benefits:

- A documented business system that ensures standardisation within your operation,
- Establishes a foundation for driver training and development, improving performance and job satisfaction, and
- Improved driver health and safety

Other Benefits

- Satisfies an increasing trend of customers requiring their suppliers to have risk management systems in place,
- Increased business validity, and
- Continuous improvement of Business Systems through process development.

How does it Work?

For an operator to be accredited, they must meet the four TruckSafe standards listed below. The Implementation Kit provides templates and a checklist for each standard.

1. Management

As an operator, your business system needs to be documented. This documentation must cover policy and procedures for all four TruckSafe standards, responsibilities of people within the business, a system of internal reviews, and record keeping procedures.

2. Maintenance

Vehicles must be kept in a roadworthy condition. To ensure and document this, the standard requires daily vehicle checks, fault reporting and recording, fault repair, scheduled maintenance, maintenance records and documentation, maintenance responsibilities, internal review, and maintenance training and education.

3. Workplace and Driver Health

This standard helps operators to keep their drivers fit and healthy, and to meet their Occupational Health and Safety obligations. This standard covers workplace health and safety issues, driver health screening (including medicals), rehabilitation, and fatigue management.

4. Training

TruckSafe requires that drivers are appropriately licensed and trained for the tasks that they are involved in. A policy and associated procedures help operators to plan and record this requirement.

How do I become Accredited?

1. Complete the NatRoad Members TruckSafe Application (enclosed), and return to TruckSafe. TruckSafe will then process your application form and will Invoice you for the Initial Membership Fee.

2. Once TruckSafe has received your payment, they will forward the implementation kit.

3. Begin to implement the program using the standards and templates in your kit. If you have any questions throughout the process, you can contact TruckSafe for free on 1800 024 990.

4. Conduct an internal check to ensure that your system meets TruckSafe standards.

5. Contact TruckSafe to arrange an entry audit for accreditation once you have prepared your documentation and four weeks of records.

6. TruckSafe will organise an independent auditor for your entry audit. Your business will be accredited once all the TruckSafe standards have been met. (Costs for TruckSafe Audits are included in the Membership Fees)

NB: Prior to entry into TruckSafe operators must have at least four weeks of documented records and at least 50% of medicals completed. Furthermore, all vehicles entering into TruckSafe must be certified as roadworthy. This certification must not be more than six (6) months old.

What is in the TruckSafe Kit?

The latest version of the Implementation Manual in a Printed Binder includes:

- Mandatory Core Modules,
- Driver Health Kit,
- Voluntary Mass Module,
- Operator Business Rules and
- Code of Conduct and Member Application Documents.

The latest version of the Implementation Manual on a CD-Rom includes:

- Mandatory Core Modules,
- Driver Health Kit,
- Voluntary Mass Module,
- Operator Business Rules and
- Code of Conduct, Member Application Documents and Digital Artwork.

TruckSafe Myths and Reality

What are the Costs?

Initial Membership Includes:

- Implementation Kit,
- Joining Fee,
- Entry Audit and
- First Compliance Audit.

These costs apply to a single site audits, extra fees will apply for extra audits.

Annual Membership Fees after first year:

These fees include a single site bi-annual compliance audits, extra fees will apply for extra audits.