Mass management is all about controlling the weight of your load to make sure your truck isn’t so heavy that it becomes unsafe to drive. Yet, despite wanting to be safe, everyone also wants to be efficient — to maximise how much you carry per truck.
There are general mass limits that specify how much each type of vehicle can carry, but to carry beyond this weight many companies opt to become accredited in mass management. For this a mass management system must be put in place to shows that you have safe practices. It outlines the processes taken to ensure safety, the duties and responsibilities of those involved and a way to record everything.
So, if you’re developing a system or just want to know more, I've outlined the 8 mass management standards you’ll have to meet.
Standard 1: Responsibilities
This first standard is basically an overview of all the ones that follow (so if you comply with the other 7 you pretty much automatically comply with this one). Standard 1 basically requires that everyone involved in mass management knows, understands, and is capable of fulfilling their duties and responsibilities, that a current mass management system is in place, and that everything is defined and documented.
Standard 2: Vehicle control
To comply to this one, all vehicles in operation must meet the criteria of the mass management system. While all companies have their own system, this still needs a couple of things:
All vehicles have to be registered (including any sub-contracted vehicles)All vehicles must meet the technical specifications of their authorised mass. For this you need to get a manufacturer rating to show that the truck is able to carry a certain mass
Standard 3: Vehicle use
Before driving off, the vehicle has to be weighed, or the weight has to be assessed in some way. The reason for this is to show that the vehicles mass is within its limitations. A method must be established for how the vehicle is loaded so you know what and where the load weight is. A method should be developed or adapted for every time of load and every type of truck to account for all situations.
Standard 4: Record and documentation
Everything to do with mass management has to be recorded and documented. This includes any procedures that are done for compliance (weighing, testing trucks load capability, etc.), the vehicle weights from each trip, and any training that is done to ensure that anyone involved is aware of procedures and what they have to do for compliance. Keeping clear and accurate documentation is also a time and money saver come audit season.
Standard 5: Verification
Verification means that you have to be able to prove that the methods you use for weighting your vehicles actually work and are accurate. Verification does not need to occur every single trip, you may have one method for measuring your vehicle, but for compliance you must have a second for comparison to ensure your method is working. You should also always have a back up procedure that everyone is aware of, just incase your method is defective or impossible to perform.
Standard 6: Internal review
You should review your mass management system every year to make sure that, after developing this whole system, it’s actually working and everyone’s actually using it. This will pick up any problem areas, tell you if more training is needed and will show you if anything needs to be amended — it can also save you from having an unsuccessful external audit.
Standard 7: Training and education
Everyone who has a duty or responsibility to mass management should be trained and educated on all procedures that are needed to be carried out. Refresher training should be done to fill any knowledge gaps and maintain a level of compliance.
Standard 8: Suspension maintenance
All vehicles (including trailers) have to have their suspension maintained and replaced as determined by the manufacturer or by a qualified mechanical engineer. Records should be kept to ensure you know when the suspension should be checked, as proof that the vehicle is fit for the road, and to document any repairs.
These standards need to be met under National Heavy Vehicle Law (NHVL) but also provide somewhat of a checklist to make sure you know where to start with mass management. To be safe on the road, the most important thing is to be well educated on your responsibilities and duties and on what constitutes safe practices. With an effective training program, procedures can be designed to avoid unsafe mass managing practices and it ensure everyone understands and is capable of following these procedures.
