The transport and logistics industry works as a network vein for a country. We all saw its ill effects last year when the world observed a complete lockdown.
Thus, it is undeniable that it plays a vital role for the economy to grow. Transport of goods & trade etc., are all a part of the supply chain. Australia & New Zealand employs nearly half a million people in the transport and logistics industry.
The Need For National Police Checks In the Transport Industry
Safety is critical due to the involvement of many aspects such as loading & unloading, traffic management, safety module for forklift & container, and the list goes on. To meet the compliance and service level agreement (SLA), transport companies must inculcate a shared approach to mitigate risks & match industry standards.
A part of adhering to these standards requires them to perform regular background checks (such as a National Police Check, etc.), site inspection, verify industry licenses, driver accreditation, driver behavior monitoring, driver riskiness, etc.
In order to avoid catastrophic loss at a later stage, companies may conduct a National police clearance or employment national police checks for drivers and employees during induction. This way, fleet management solution providers can make informed workforce decisions.
But how can companies know just on driver behavior and monitoring, whether there is a need for a background check?
To understand this, first, we will have to glance at what is telematics?
What is Telematics?
Telematics is a system that collects, evaluates, and comprehends vehicle-related data to fleet managers. It is widely used for commercial fleet vehicles. The system analyzes various information and gathers data such as GPS tracking, video recording, driver riskiness, monitoring driver behavioral patterns, etc. Thus, aiding in vehicle and road safety.
Upon receiving the data, fleet managers can act accordingly. It helps them to decide whether to conduct safety induction again, cross-train drivers or workers, or simply have their national police checks done.
Large operations require you to delegate tasks to sub-contractors within the transport & logistics industry. This need of the hour passes the compliance responsibility onto the sub-contractors as a part of safety and risk management programs.
Safe workplace procedures involve taking best practices starting from maintaining data sheets, a record of unsafe driving, vehicle safety, traffic management, transporting hazardous goods, and many more.
Telematics does provide insight regarding driving patterns, risky behavior, and in case of an accident, the reason for the collision, etc.
There are a few drawbacks of telematics. However, companies currently are dealing to leverage on tech so that fleet managers or central monitoring units can have a complete picture in case of any mishaps
Important Checks In The Transport & Logistics Industry
There are various kinds of checks such as the national police check, right to work check, working with children check, etc. The most useful ones for the industry are listed as follows:
- Citizenship Check (also called Right to Work Check or Work Entitlement Check)
- National Police Check (also called Police Clearance or Criminal History Check)
- Traffic History Check
- Medical History Check
Let us understand in brief about different kinds of background checks which can help the transport industry policy check and its employees to mitigate risk.
Citizenship Check
This allows an employer to know the citizenship and work rights of a prospective driver. Australian citizens can provide a birth certificate, passport, or citizenship certificate. Whereas non-Australian citizens need to provide their VEVO Work Entitlement Check from an ACIC accredited police check provider.
National Police Check
These are point-in-time checks which reveal any wrongdoing or criminal history of the candidate. The police clearance certificate will showcase light on any unlawful activities. With KONCHECK, you can get an instant police check as the manual process is digitally transformed into police checks online.
One also needs to keep in mind about the State when applying for the police clearance certificate. For example, National Police Check SA, National Police Check NSW, Police Check QLD.
Traffic History Check
This check is carried out to understand any traffic violations. Usually, there are four things measured in this type of check. Namely,
- How severe was the offense?
- Did the offense happen in a public passenger vehicle?
- Is there a repetitive pattern of the same offense?
- When did the offense was recorded?
Medical History Check
This is one of the critical checks as drivers mostly spend their time behind the wheels. If they happen to suffer from a severe medical condition, it can put the driver and passengers, by-passers, etc., at risk.
The national transport commission has implemented certain medical norms and standards for drivers. Drivers must have to meet the guidelines in order to apply for driver accreditation.
Besides the above-mentioned background checks, transport companies can also make a practice of collecting and monitoring accreditations. The employer can request this set of documents as a prerequisite condition before offering the role in the company.
Complying with such standards will help you build a trustworthy workforce and safe workplace for everyone. Moreover, it will also help you detect if any of the accreditation is on the verge of expiry to help you take the necessary steps.
The working functionality of the transport & logistics industry is complex and has many layers. Thus, it becomes tough for the companies to meet industry standards and stay committed. Hence, maintaining compliance becomes a top-priority job at hand to keep workplaces safe.
Leveraging with telematics – a branch of communication & technology, and performing checks, positive actions can be taken into considerations to prevent safety breaches and injury. Using the best of both sides, technology, and national police checks, a safe work environment and health and well-being can be observed for workers, contractors, sub-contractors, and the community.
Conclusion:
KONCHECK – an ACIC accredited national police check provider helps individuals and businesses to eliminate risk and promote a safe environment for the Australian community.
Try KONCHECK today for background checks such as National Police Check, Work Entitlement Check, etc, and receive your police clearance certificate within 1-2 business days. The company is currently offering a 25% money-back offer on all the transportation industry police check applications to promote road and driver safety.
