Fatigue management checklist

Templates and policieschecklistUpdated 10 July 2026

How to use it: Run it monthly for fleets with fatigue-regulated drivers. It checks the operator's duties, not the driver's; the point is proving your system catches problems before an investigator does.

Coverage

• We have listed every fatigue-regulated vehicle (trucks over 12 tonnes GVM, buses over 4.5 tonnes with more than 12 seats).
• Every driver of those vehicles is identified, with their fatigue level (standard hours, BFM, AFM) listed.
• New drivers are inducted on fatigue duties before their first regulated shift.

Rostering

• Rosters are checked against maximum work and minimum rest before they are issued, not after.
• Two-up, night and long-distance work have specific rostering rules.
• Last-minute changes are re-checked against hours, and the check is logged.

Work diaries

• Every regulated driver keeps a work diary (written or an approved electronic work diary).
• Drivers working more than 100 km from base carry the diary and complete it as they go.
• Diary pages or electronic records come back to the operator on a defined cycle.

Records

• Work and rest records are retained for at least three years.
• Records are legible, complete and match trip records where we can cross-check.

Monitoring and action

• A named person reviews records for breaches on a schedule, and reviews are logged.
• Detected breaches trigger documented follow-up with the driver and, where needed, the schedule.
• Repeat patterns (same route, same shift, same customer) are analysed, not just individual events.

Culture check

• Drivers have declined shifts on fatigue grounds in the last year without penalty. (If the answer is never, ask why.)

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