Coates, Australia’s leading equipment hire and solutions provider, has launched an updated version of its Load Restraint Guide for 2023 to help stakeholders meet their transport safety obligations.
Produced in conjunction with Engistics, an engineering consultancy that specialises in load restraint, the Coates Load Restraint Guide (2023 Edition) is available online now.
The free guide outlines the restraint methods required to achieve the performance standards listed in Schedule 7 of the Heavy Vehicle (Mass, Dimension and Loading) National Regulation, one of five sets of regulations that underpin the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL).
First released in 2020, the new edition of the Coates Load Restraint Guide features more specific information relating to Coates equipment solutions, with all technical specifications verified by Engistics.
Like many companies operating in key industries such as mining, construction and manufacturing, Coates says that transporting equipment by road is one of the highest risk activities that the company performs.
“The most precious cargo in any heavy vehicle is the driver who is most at risk, so it’s critical we get load restraint right,” said Paul McDonough, RTO Manager at Coates.
“Load restraint is an important part of keeping our customers’ people and businesses and other road users safe, too.”
Complying with load restraint laws
Administered by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR), the HVNL regulates the use of heavy vehicles weighing more than 4.5 tonnes. It applies in all Australian States and Territories, excluding Western Australia and the Northern Territory*.
Chain of Responsibility (CoR) law forms part of the HVNL and means that all parties who influence or control transport operations in the supply chain, from the company that employs truck drivers to the consignee who receives the transported goods, is accountable for safety.
In 2021, a Victorian company became the first consignor to be prosecuted by the regulator under the 2018 amendment of the HVNL which made all parties in the supply chain part of the CoR.
The consignor allegedly failed to comply with loading and restraint requirements, failed to advise an overseas supplier of Australian safety regulations, failed to have any restraint system in place in the container, and failed to advise the driver and operator how the load was packed.
Although no one was injured in the incident, it stands as a stark reminder that everyone involved in heavy vehicle transport has a shared duty to ensure the safety of workers and the public.
Keeping workers safe with training
With branches and customers across the country, Coates operates a fleet of approximately 180 delivery vehicles, ranging from one-tonne utes to super tilt semi-trailers, and has over 350 transport partners.
Collectively, these vehicles complete upwards of 1,000 equipment movements per day.
To support the roll-out of the Coates Load Restraint Guide (2023 Edition), all Coates employees and contractors involved in the transport supply chain will undertake mandatory load restraint training to demonstrate competence and meet the CoR obligations.
As a Registered Training Organisation since 1996 (national provider no. 1402), Coates is an industry leader in delivering high-risk training for plant, equipment and specialist situations, including two nationally recognised load restraint training courses that assist all types of businesses to work safely and meet their legal obligations.
“Our nationally recognised competency-based courses are designed for people who load, transport and unload plant and cargo with Duty of Care offerings for managers who have a legal requirement to understand load restraint,” said McDonough. “We can also contextualise these training courses and develop bespoke material around individual customer needs.”
Read the Coates Load Restraint Guide (2023 Edition) and call Coates Training on 1300 657 867 to discuss your load restraint training needs
For more information on loading requirements in WA & NT, see:
• NT Government – How to secure loads on your vehicle
• WA Department of Transport – Heavy vehicle safety
