Heavy Vehicle Driving (HC/MC General) SWMS

Heavy vehicle driving covers the general operation of heavy vehicles on roads — driving trucks and heavy vehicles over 4.5 tonnes gross vehicle mass to transport goods. It is carried out under the Heavy Vehicle National Law and the Chain of Responsibility, which make not only the driver but the scheduler, consignor, loader, consignee and operator responsible for the safety of the heavy vehicle, and the defining hazards are driver fatigue, the load and its restraint, the roadworthiness of the vehicle, and the interaction with other road users. This document is written on the basis that heavy vehicle driving is carried out by a licensed heavy vehicle driver with the Chain of Responsibility, fatigue, load-restraint and vehicle controls in place.

Heavy vehicle driving is carried out in connection with the Heavy Vehicle National Law and the Chain of Responsibility primary duty under section 26C, with driver fatigue managed to the work-and-rest-hour requirements, the load restrained to the National Transport Commission Load Restraint Guide 2018, and the vehicle maintained to a roadworthy standard. The Chain of Responsibility, the fatigue, the load restraint, and the vehicle and road hazards are the considerations. This document coordinates the Chain of Responsibility, fatigue, load-restraint and vehicle controls so the heavy vehicle driving is carried out safely.

Hazards identified

9 hazards covered, sorted by priority.

Control measures

Hierarchy-of-controls order: elimination → substitution → isolation → engineering → administrative → PPE.

1. 1Administrative: meet the Chain of Responsibility duties under the Heavy Vehicle National Law — the primary duty under section 26C shared across the scheduler, consignor, loader, consignee and operator — recognising these duties cannot be contracted out, and manage fatigue, mass, dimension, load restraint and vehicle standards.
2. 2Administrative: manage driver fatigue to the Heavy Vehicle National Law work-and-rest-hour requirements, so a driver does not drive while impaired by fatigue or in breach of the work-and-rest-hour requirements, with realistic scheduling.
3. 3Engineering: restrain the load to meet the performance standards of the National Transport Commission Load Restraint Guide 2018, so the load cannot move or fall during transport, with appropriate restraint equipment inspected before use.
4. 4Administrative: maintain the vehicle to a roadworthy standard with the vehicle standards and a pre-trip inspection, and do not operate a defective vehicle.
5. 5Administrative: drive to the conditions and within the speed limits, and manage the mass and dimension within the limits.
6. 6Engineering: manage reversing and manoeuvring with a reversing procedure, mirrors, cameras or a spotter, and manage coupling, uncoupling and vehicle access safely.
7. 7Engineering: use mechanical aids — trolleys, dollies, stair-climbers, pallet jacks and lifting equipment — and team lifting for the heavy and awkward loads, and manage the manual-handling and awkward-posture hazard with correct technique and the hierarchy of controls for hazardous manual tasks.
8. 8Administrative: all workers must hold the competencies and licences required for the work, including a High Risk Work Licence for forklift operation, a heavy vehicle driver licence for heavy vehicles, and any dangerous goods or other training required.
9. 9Administrative: conduct a pre-start toolbox talk covering the day's work, identified hazards, traffic and plant movements, required PPE and emergency procedures, and record attendance in the consultation section.
10. 10Administrative: consult workers and any health and safety representatives on the work and its risks, record the consultation, and keep this document available at the workplace.
11. 11PPE: high-visibility clothing, eye protection where required, gloves appropriate to the task, hearing protection where required, and Class I or Class II safety footwear with protective toecap to AS/NZS 2210.3.
12. 12Administrative: review and update this SWMS whenever the work scope changes, after any incident or near miss, when a worker or health and safety representative raises a concern, when new hazards are identified, or at minimum every 12 months.

Applicable Codes of Practice

Worked example

A licensed heavy vehicle driver is engaged to transport goods by truck. The work is carried out in connection with the Heavy Vehicle National Law and the Chain of Responsibility, with the primary duty under section 26C shared across the scheduler, consignor, loader, consignee and operator, recognising these duties cannot be contracted out. Driver fatigue is managed to the work-and-rest-hour requirements, so the driver does not drive while impaired by fatigue or in breach of the requirements, with realistic scheduling. The load is restrained to the performance standards of the National Transport Commission Load Restraint Guide 2018, so it cannot move or fall during transport. The vehicle is maintained to a roadworthy standard with a pre-trip inspection, and a defective vehicle is not operated. The driver drives to the conditions and within the speed limits, and the mass and dimension are managed within the limits. Reversing and manoeuvring are managed with a reversing procedure and a spotter, and coupling and vehicle access managed safely. The driving is carried out safely, and the records retained.

Related legislation

• Model Work Health and Safety Act — primary duty of care; the duty to consult workers; the reckless-conduct offence; and notifiable-incident provisions, as enacted in each jurisdiction.
• Model Work Health and Safety Regulations — the plant, hazardous manual tasks, hazardous chemicals and High Risk Work Licence provisions, and the Section 291 high risk construction work and SWMS duties where applicable, as enacted in each jurisdiction.
• The Heavy Vehicle National Law and the Chain of Responsibility, the National Transport Commission Load Restraint Guide 2018, and the Australian Dangerous Goods Code, apply to heavy vehicles and the transport of dangerous goods, alongside the model WHS framework, and are administered by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator and the state and territory dangerous goods regulators.
• Forklift operation requires a High Risk Work Licence (LF or LO class) under each state and territory's licensing scheme, and heavy vehicle driving requires the appropriate heavy vehicle driver licence; dangerous goods drivers require dangerous goods licensing and training.
• Victoria operates under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017, with the plant, manual handling, hazardous chemicals and high risk construction work provisions applying in place of the model instruments, alongside the Dangerous Goods Act 1985.

Frequently asked questions