Chain of Responsibility (CoR)
Chain of Responsibility (CoR) is a core principle of Australia's Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL): legal responsibility for the safe operation of a heavy vehicle is shared by every party in the transport chain — not just the driver. Consignors, packers, loaders, schedulers, operators, prime contractors and consignees all have a duty to ensure their actions or demands do not cause a breach.
CoR covers mass and dimension limits, load restraint, speed, and driver fatigue. If a party's conduct — for example, an unrealistic delivery schedule or an overloaded pallet — contributes to a breach, that party can be penalised, even if they never touched the vehicle.
CoR moves liability up the supply chain: a warehouse that sets impossible delivery windows or loads a truck over mass can be held responsible for a safety breach on the road. For anyone who consigns, packs, loads or receives freight, CoR compliance — and the records to prove it — is a legal obligation, not just the carrier's problem.
Loader
Driver
Who is in the chain of responsibility?
Any party who influences the transport task — consignor, packer, loader, scheduler, operator, driver and consignee — each shares responsibility for compliance.
Can a business be penalised if the driver breaches?
Yes. If the business's actions or demands contributed to the breach (for example overloading or unrealistic scheduling), it can be held liable under CoR.