By Glyn Castanelli
Director of Industry Engagement and Customer Success, Hubfleet
There’s a quiet but powerful shift underway in the transport industry, one that many operators haven’t yet recognised, but may soon be forced to reckon with. It’s not about fuel prices, freight volumes or new technologies. It’s about something much more fundamental: proof of competence.
For years, we’ve accepted that holding a heavy vehicle licence means a person is trained. But that assumption is no longer just outdated, it’s dangerous. The law is clear a licence is not enough to prove competence. Expectations have changed. And the regulators, courts, and community are now demanding more than ever before: real evidence that drivers and operations staff are trained for the work they do, not just licensed.
We’re no longer talking about theory. This is the difference between legal protection and prosecution. Between a preventable incident and a tragic one. Between being a responsible operator and being left exposed.
A licence is not competence
Under the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL), every party in the Chain of Responsibility has a duty to ensure the safety of transport activities, as far as is reasonably practicable. That includes verifying that drivers are competent, not just licensed, for the tasks they are performing.
Let’s be blunt. A licence tells us someone passed a test, maybe years ago, on a specific vehicle in a controlled environment. But it tells us nothing about whether they can reverse a fully loaded B-double into a tight job site, navigate a steep descent in a manual transmission vehicle, manage fatigue on a 14-hour regional run, or adequately secure a load.
And yet, these are the real conditions drivers face every day.
When something goes wrong, a crash, a fatigue breach, a compliance failure, the investigators don’t ask whether your driver had a licence. They ask: What training did they receive for this specific task? Who delivered it? When? Can you show us the record?
If the answer is no, you may be in breach of your primary duty regardless of your intentions.
Real consequences, real lessons
Prosecutions have shown the devastating consequences of failing to verify driver competence. In one high-profile case, a driver was operating a manual transmission vehicle on a steep descent when they lost control and caused a fatal crash. The operator had not provided proper training for the transmission type or terrain, nor had they assessed the driver’s capability beyond assuming the licence was enough.
The court found that the company’s reliance on assumptions, and its failure to document training, amounted to a breach of its safety duties. The fine was in the millions. But the real cost was measured in lives lost.
The lesson is clear: if you cannot prove that your driver was competent for the task, you haven’t met your legal or moral obligations, no matter how experienced they are, or how long they’ve worked for you.
Operations staff aren’t exempt
It’s not just about drivers. Those in operational roles — dispatchers, schedulers, compliance officers — also have influence over transport activities. If they’re making decisions about freight, fatigue, mass, or vehicle availability, they too must be trained in the systems, laws, and responsibilities that govern their work.
Without proper training and records, these team members can create risks just as significant as an untrained driver on the road. And under Chain of Responsibility, that risk flows straight back to the business.
The role of training records
It’s not enough to provide training. You have to prove it. That means keeping clear, signed, and accessible records of:
- What training was provided
- Who delivered it
- When it occurred
- Who completed it
- What materials or assessments were used
Records should be signed by both the trainer and trainee. They should be reviewed regularly. And they should be stored in a way that allows them to be retrieved quickly in the event of an audit, incident, or investigation.
Because if there’s no record, the law assumes it didn’t happen.
Where Hubfleet fits in
Hubfleet was built to make compliance easier for real operators doing real work. And we’ve invested heavily in building a training and induction record system that meets the expectations of today’s transport environment.
With Hubfleets Safety Management System, operators can assign training based on driver or operational roles, upload certificates or PDFs, track completion status, and ensure that every record is attached to a real person in the system. Drivers can view their own training history in the app — a major benefit during roadside inspections or site access requirements.
Most importantly, you don’t need to dig through folders or emails. It’s all there — verifiable, secure, and ready when you need it.
Don’t wait for a knock at the door
Too often, the importance of training records is only realised after something has gone wrong when investigators are asking questions, when insurers are looking for evidence, or when a court is weighing your duty of care.
By then, it’s too late to say, “But we thought they were trained.”
As an industry, we need to move beyond assumptions. Beyond box-ticking. Beyond hoping for the best. We need systems that reflect the real-world risks we manage every day and that starts with structured, role-based training and records that stand up under scrutiny.
Hubfleet gives you the vessel to do exactly that.
Not because it’s trendy. Not because the regulator said so. But because it’s the right thing to do for your drivers, for your staff, and for the future of your business.
Sign up for a free 14 day trial of Hubfleet.
Read more ATN:
Toll Group to acquire major player in international freight forwarding
South Australian government steps in amid Whyalla port dispute
ANCAP targets light truck safety after record road toll