Product Overview

Summary: This Transportation of Goods Safe Operating Procedure sets out clear, safe, and compliant methods for moving goods by road within Australia. It helps businesses manage chain of responsibility obligations, protect workers and the public, and reduce damage, delays, and incidents across their transport activities.

The movement of goods across Australia involves far more than simply loading a truck and sending it on its way. Businesses now operate under strict Chain of Responsibility (CoR) laws and WHS duties that make everyone in the transport supply chain accountable for safety – from schedulers and loaders to managers and consignors. This Transportation of Goods Safe Operating Procedure provides a practical, end‑to‑end framework for planning, loading, securing, transporting, and unloading goods in a way that is legally defensible and operationally efficient.

The SOP addresses the real‑world challenges faced by Australian businesses: tight delivery windows, long-distance travel, varied freight types, subcontractor use, and multiple loading sites. It sets out clear expectations for vehicle selection, load restraint, fatigue management interfaces, documentation, communication, and incident response. By implementing this procedure, organisations can significantly reduce transport-related injuries, road incidents, freight damage, and compliance breaches, while improving customer service and consistency across their transport operations.

Key Benefits

• Ensure compliance with Australian Chain of Responsibility, fatigue, load restraint, and WHS requirements.
• Reduce the risk of transport incidents, injuries, freight damage, and vehicle rollovers during loading, transit, and unloading.
• Standardise how goods are prepared, loaded, restrained, and delivered across drivers, depots, and subcontractors.
• Streamline communication and documentation between warehouse, transport, and customer sites to minimise delays and disputes.
• Demonstrate due diligence through a clear, auditable procedure that supports training, inductions, and contractor management.

Who is this for?

• Logistics Managers
• Transport Coordinators
• Warehouse and Distribution Managers
• Fleet Managers
• Truck and Delivery Drivers
• Owner Drivers and Contractors
• Operations Managers
• WHS Managers and Advisors
• Supply Chain Managers
• Site Supervisors and Leading Hands

Hazards Addressed

• Vehicle collisions and near misses during loading, unloading, and on-road transport
• Load shift, load loss, and vehicle instability due to inadequate load restraint
• Crush injuries and struck-by incidents from moving vehicles, forklifts, and falling freight
• Manual handling injuries from lifting, pushing, pulling, or stacking goods
• Slips, trips, and falls on loading docks, trays, and tailgates
• Fatigue-related risks associated with scheduling, loading delays, and extended driving hours
• Exposure to hazardous substances due to damaged packaging or spills during transport
• Environmental incidents from leaks, spills, or loss of containment during transit
• Psychosocial hazards such as time pressure, unrealistic delivery expectations, and conflict at delivery sites

Included Sections

• 1.0 Purpose, Scope and Objectives
• 2.0 Definitions and Key Terms
• 3.0 Roles, Responsibilities and Chain of Responsibility Duties
• 4.0 Applicable Legislation, Standards and Company Policies
• 5.0 Pre-Transport Planning and Job Scheduling
• 6.0 Vehicle Selection, Pre-Start Checks and Roadworthiness
• 7.0 Freight Assessment, Packaging and Labelling Requirements
• 8.0 Load Planning, Weight Distribution and Axle Limits
• 9.0 Loading Procedures and Use of Loading Equipment
• 10.0 Load Restraint Requirements and Verification
• 11.0 Working at Heights on Vehicles and Fall Prevention
• 12.0 Manual Handling Controls During Loading and Unloading
• 13.0 Fatigue Risk Management Interfaces (Delays, Queues and Scheduling)
• 14.0 On-Road Driving Requirements and Safe Work Practices
• 15.0 Site Access, Traffic Management and Delivery Protocols
• 16.0 Unloading Procedures at Customer and Depot Sites
• 17.0 Handling of Dangerous Goods and Hazardous Materials (If Applicable)
• 18.0 Communication, Documentation and Record Keeping
• 19.0 Incident, Near Miss and Damage Reporting
• 20.0 Emergency Response Procedures for Transport Incidents and Spills
• 21.0 Contractor and Subcontractor Management Requirements
• 22.0 Training, Competency and Induction Requirements
• 23.0 Inspection, Monitoring, Review and Continuous Improvement

Legislation & References

• Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) and Chain of Responsibility (as applied in participating states and territories)
• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth and harmonised state/territory legislation)
• Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011 (Cth and harmonised state/territory regulations)
• Load Restraint Guide 2018 – National Transport Commission (NTC)
• Safe Work Australia – Managing risks of plant in the workplace Code of Practice
• Safe Work Australia – Hazardous manual tasks Code of Practice
• AS/NZS 4801: Occupational health and safety management systems (superseded but still commonly referenced)
• AS ISO 45001: Occupational health and safety management systems – Requirements with guidance for use
• AS 1891 series: Industrial fall-arrest systems and devices (where working at height on vehicles is required)
• AS 2809 series: Road tank vehicles for dangerous goods (where applicable)
• Australian Dangerous Goods Code (ADG Code) for the transport of dangerous goods by road and rail (where applicable)