Chain of Responsibility (CoR) Duty Checker
Find your Chain of Responsibility duties under the Heavy Vehicle National Law — who is a party in the chain and what you must do.
Under the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL), the Chain of Responsibility makes everyone with control or influence over a heavy-vehicle transport task share responsibility for its safety. Parties include the employer of a driver, prime contractor, operator, scheduler, consignor, consignee, packer, loading manager, loader and unloader — and you can be more than one. Each party owes a primary duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the safety of their transport activities, covering speed, fatigue, mass, dimension, loading and vehicle standards. You cannot contract out of it, and executives owe a due-diligence duty. The HVNL applies in QLD, NSW, VIC, SA, TAS and the ACT; Western Australia and the Northern Territory run their own heavy-vehicle laws.
Are you in the Chain of Responsibility?
Select every role you play in a heavy-vehicle transport task and the state or territory where it happens. The checker confirms whether you are a party in the Chain of Responsibility under the Heavy Vehicle National Law, the primary duty you owe, and the safety areas you must manage. This is general information, not legal advice.
Select at least one role above to confirm whether you are a party in the Chain of Responsibility and see the duty you owe.
Where this applies: The Heavy Vehicle National Law applies in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory, so the Chain of Responsibility duties above apply to transport tasks there. Western Australia and the Northern Territory have NOT adopted the HVNL and run their own heavy-vehicle laws — if any part of your task touches those jurisdictions, check the law that applies there.
Source: Chain of Responsibility is set out in the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL), administered by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR). The primary duty (to ensure the safety of transport activities so far as is reasonably practicable) and the executive due-diligence duty are core HVNL duties — see the NHVR's Chain of Responsibility guidance at nhvr.gov.au.
This is general information, not legal advice. Your exact Chain of Responsibility duties depend on your role in the transport task, what you control or influence, and the law that applies where the task takes place. Confirm your position with the NHVR or a qualified adviser before relying on it.
Managing driver fatigue is a core Chain of Responsibility duty — check the Heavy Vehicle Fatigue Checker for the work and rest hours. Or visit the Safety Hub for the full safety and WHS tool set.
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