What evidence proves fatigue compliance at an audit?

Complete work diaries or local area records for each driver, evidence that the business checked them, and records showing how breaches were followed up. Under accreditation, the auditor also looks at whether the operator's system meets the standard it signed up to. Records made at the time carry far more weight than ones reconstructed later.

What does a driver need to show at a roadside fatigue check?

Drivers who need a work diary must produce it, either the written National Driver Work Diary or an NHVR approved EWD. Drivers on BFM, AFM or ACA-Fatigue hours also carry a copy of the operator's accreditation certificate. With Logmaster, the officer reads the entries on the driver's device.

Is a fitness declaration enough to prove a driver was fit?

On its own, no. The NHVR has said a fitness-for-duty declaration isn't enough by itself, and businesses should also talk with drivers, support health assessments and make it safe to report being unfit. A declaration is still useful evidence when it sits alongside those practices.

How long must fatigue records be kept?

At least three years after they're made or received, and somewhere an authorised officer can access them. Records needed for accreditation are kept for at least as long as the accreditation runs.

Who is responsible for fatigue records when an EWD is used?

The operator and the EWD provider share responsibility for record keeping under the NHVR's guidance. The record keeper still needs to review the records and act on what they show.

Fatigue Compliance: The Evidence That Holds Up

Fatigue compliance is easiest to prove when the evidence was made at the time. An auditor or officer wants to see what each driver did, when they did it and how the business checked. Logmaster is an NHVR approved electronic work diary that builds that evidence as drivers work.

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Compliance You Can't Show Doesn't Count

An operator may well run safe rosters, but if the diaries are incomplete, the local area records are missing or the checks were never written down, an audit has nothing to measure them by. Gaps usually show up in the same places: rest entries written in after the fact, sheets with no hours option ticked, fitness checks done verbally and roster reviews that live in someone's head.

Evidence Built Into the Working Day

In Logmaster, every work and rest entry carries its time to the minute and the suburb where it was made. Entries can be corrected before End of Day sign-off, and a breach is recorded once the day is signed off, so the final record is clear about what happened. Fitness declarations and pre-start checks reach the record keeper as they're submitted, and both export as PDFs. Weekly log sheets are sent out automatically, giving the business a dated copy without anyone chasing a driver.

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Work Diary Entries

Drivers working 100km or more from base under Standard Hours, or any distance under alternative or exemption hours, need a work diary. Logmaster's EWD records each change with its time and place.

Local Area Records

Drivers within 100km of base under Standard Hours don't need a diary, but the operator still records their work and rest, in a diary or on a trip or run sheet.

Fitness Declarations

A declaration at the start of each shift, timestamped and stored, shows the driver confirmed they were fit. The NHVR expects more than the declaration alone, so pair it with conversations and support.

Breach Review Notes

When a potential breach comes up, the record keeper sees it in the portal and can follow it up on the day rather than months later.

Accreditation Details

Drivers on BFM, AFM or ACA-Fatigue hours record the accreditation number, and the operator keeps evidence of meeting the accreditation's conditions.

Exports on Request

Simplified and compliance reports, plus PDF exports of checks and declarations, mean the evidence can be handed over quickly.

Heavy Vehicle Drivers

At a roadside check, the driver shows the EWD on screen with every entry totalled, rather than flipping through carbon pages.

Fleet Managers and Record Keepers

Record keepers hold the work diary records for three years and export them when an auditor asks.

Transport Business Owners

Owners and executives use the same records to show they took reasonable steps, which matters for the primary duty and due diligence.

Approved by the NHVR, Used by 10,000+ Drivers

Logmaster's approval certificate is published on the NHVR's website, and more than 10,000 drivers record their hours in it. Records are held in the cloud on a platform certified to ISO 27001.

Logmaster digital forms on a mobile phone

Logmaster dashboard on a mobile phone and tablet

Work out which drivers need a work diary and which are covered by local area records.

Set each driver up in Logmaster with the right fatigue plan and accreditation number.

Turn on fitness declarations and pre-start checks for the start of every shift.

Have the record keeper review potential breaches daily and note the follow-up.

Run a compliance report each month and keep it with your audit evidence.

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Fatigue Compliance: The Evidence That Holds Up

Compliance You Can't Show Doesn't Count

Evidence Built Into the Working Day